^^j^53Svlim 


"^^OQICAL  SE^\^ 


BV  5080  .T25  1907 

Tauler,  Johannes,  ca.  1300- 

1361. 
The  history  and  life  of  the 


HISTORY    AND    LIFE 

OF   THE 

REVEREND 

DOCTOR  JOHN    TAULER 

WITH 

TWENTY-FIVE    OF  HIS  SERMONS 


UNIFORM  WITH  THIS  VOLUME 
New  Edition,  Large  Crown  8vo.     Cloth,  6s. 


THE  LIFE  OP 

P\adai^e  Guyon 

BY 

T.  C.  UPHAM 

IVzi/i  ne7u  Introduction  by 

The  Rev.  W.  R.  INGE,  M,A. 

Author  of  "Christian  M\  ücism" 


London  :  H.  R.  ALLENSON,  Ivy  Lane,  E.C. 


The   History  and   Life 

OF   THE 

REVEREND 

Doctor  John   Tauler 

OF  STRASBOURG;   WITH 

Twenty- Five  of  his  Sermons 

(Temp.   1340) 


Translated  from  the  German,   with  Additional 
Notices  of  Tauler's  Life  and  Times,  by 

SUSANNA  WINKWORTH 

Translator  of  "  Theologia  Germanica  " 

AND    A 

Preface  by  CHARLES  KINGSLEY 


EATON   &   MAINS:    New   York 

JENNINGS  &  GRAHAM  :    Cincinnati 

1907 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

'T^HE  production  of  this  reprint  of 
Tauler's  Life  and  Sermons  is  the 
fulfilment  of  a  desire  long  indulged  in. 
A  modern  edition  of  these  choice  illus- 
trations of  reUgious  mysticism  is  now 
placed  within  the  reach  of  many  who 
could  not  purchase  at  the  fancy  prices 
hitherto  asked. 

Dr.  Whyte's  kind  letter  of  encour- 
agement (received  after  the  book  had 
gone  to  Press)  is  given  overleaf,  and 
will  interest  many. 


LETTER  FROM 
DR.   ALEXANDER  WHYTE 

7  Charlotte  Square 
Edinburgh 

Dear  Mr.  Allenson, 

You  are  doing  all  lovers  of  first-class 
spiritual  books  a  great  service  by 
putting  on  the  market  a  new  and 
properly  edited  issue  of  Tauler.  His 
name  is  fragrant  to  all  who  know  him. 
And  many  more  will  know  him,  I  feel 
sure,  through  this  fine  enterprise  of 
yours.  Be  sure  I  shall  do  my  best  to 
make  your  Tauler  known  here. 
BeUeve  me, 

ALEXANDER  WHYTE. 


Tauler 

By 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier 

TAULER,  the  preacher,  walked,  one   autumn 
day. 
Without  the  walls  of  Strasburg,  by  the  Rhine, 
Pondering  the  solemn  Miracle  of  Life  ; 
As  one  who,  wandering  in  a  starless  night, 
Feels,  momently,  the  jar  of  unseen  waves, 
And  hears  the  thunder  of  an  unknown  sea, 
Breaking  along  an  unimagined  shore. 

And  as  he  walked  he  prayed.     Even  the  same 
Old  prayer  with  which,  for  half-a-score  of  years. 
Morning,  and  noon,  and  evening,  hp  and  heart 
Had  groaned  :   "  Have  pity  upon  me,  Lord  ! 
Thou  seest,  while  teaching  others,  I  am  blind. 
Send  me  a  man  who  can  direct  my  steps  !  " 

Then,  as  he  mused,  he  heard  along  his  path 
A  sound  as  of  an  old  man's  staff  among 
The  dry,  dead  Hnden-leaves  ;  and,  looking  up, 
He  saw  a  stranger,  weak,  and  poor,  and  old. 

"  Peace  be  unto  thee,  father !  "  Tauler  said, 
"  God  give  thee  a  good  day  !  "     The  old  man  raised 
Slowly  his  calm  blue  eyes.     "  I  thank  thee,  son  ; 
But  all  my  days  are  good,  and  none  are  ill," 


8  TAULER 

Wondering  thereat,  the  preacher  spake  again, 

"  God  give  thee  happy  hfe."     The  old  man  smiled, 

"  I  never  am  unhappy." 

Tauler  laid 
His  hand  upon  the  stranger's  coarse  grey  sleeve  : 
"  Tell  me,  O  father,  what  thy  strange  words  mean. 
Surely  man's  days  are  evil,  and  his  life 
Sad  as  the  grave  it  leads  to."     "  Nay,  my  son. 
Our  times  are  in  God's  hands,  and  all  our  days 
Are  as  our  needs  :    for  shadow  as  for  sun. 
For  cold  as  heat,  for  want  as  wealth,  alike 
Our  thanks  are  due,  since  that  is  best  which  is  ; 
And  that  which  is  not,  sharing  not  his  hfe, 
Is  evil  only  as  devoid  of  good. 
And  for  the  happiness  of  which  I  spake, 
I  find  it  in  submission  to  His  will. 
And  calm  trust  in  the  Holy  Trinity 
Of  Knowledge,  Goodness,  and  Almighty  Power." 

Silently  wondering,  for  a  little  space, 
Stood  the  great  preacher  ;  then  he  spoke  as  one 
Who  suddenly  grappling  with  a  haunting  thought 
Which  long  has  followed,  whispering  through  the  dark 
Strange  terrors,  drags  it,  shrieking,  into  hght : 
"  What  if  God's  will  consign  thee  hence  to  Hell  ?  " 

"  Then,"  said  the  stranger  cheerily,  "be  it  so. 
What  Hell  may  be  I  know  not ;    this  I  know — 
I  cannot  lose  the  presence  of  the  Lord  : 
One  arm.  Humility,  takes  hold  upon 
His  dear  Humanity  ;    the  other,  Love, 
Clasps  His  Divinity.     So  where  I  go. 
He  goes  ;   and  better  fire-walled  Hell  with  Him 
Than  golden-gated  Paradise  without." 


TAULER  9 

Tears  sprang  in  Tauler's  eyes ;  a  sudden  light, 
Like  the  first  ray  which  fell  on  chaos,  clove 
Apart  the  shadow  wherein  he  had  walked 
Darkly  at  noon.     And,  as  the  strange  old  man 
Went  his  slow  way,  until  his  silver  hair 
Set  like  the  white  moon  where  the  hills  of  vine 
Slope  to  the  Rhine,  he  bowed  his  head  and  said — 
"  My  prayer  is  answered.      God  hath  sent  the  man 
Long  sought,  to  teach  me,  by  his  simple  trust. 
Wisdom  the  weary  schoolmen  never  knew." 

So,  entering  with  a  changed  and  cheerful  step 
The  city  gates,  he  saw,  far  down  the  street, 
A  mighty  shadow  break  the  light  of  noon. 
Which  tracing  backward  till  its  airy  lines 
Hardened  to  stony  plinths,  he  raised  his  eyes 
O'er  broad  fagade  and  lofty  pediment. 
O'er  architrave,  and  frieze,  and  sainted  niche. 
Up  the  stone  lace-work  chiselled  by  the  wise 
Erwin  of  Steinbach,  dizzily  up  to  where 
In  the  noon-brightness  the  great  Minster's  tower. 
Jewelled  with  sunbeams  on  its  mural  crown. 
Rose  like  a  visible  prayer.     "  Behold  !  "  he  said, 
"  The  stranger's  faith  made  plain  before  mine  eyes. 
As  yonder  tower  outstretches  to  the  earth 
The  dark  triangle  of  its  shade  alone 
When  the  clear  day  is  shining  on  its  top. 
So  darkness  in  the  pathway  of  Man's  life 
Is  but  the  shadow  of  God's  providence. 
By  the  great  Sun  of  Wisdom  cast  thereon  ; 
And  what  is  dark  below  is  light  in  Heaven." 


Table  of  Contents 


PART    I 

PAGE 

Translator's  Preface  .  .  .  .  15 

Preface  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Kingsley  .  23 

The  History  and  Life  of  the  Reverend  Doctor 

John  Tauler        .....  40 

Introductory  Notice  respecting  Tauler's  Life 

AND  Times,  by  the  Translator         .  .  100 

PART   II 

SBRMON 

I.  Sermon  for  the  First  Sunday  in  Advent   199 

How  that  we  are  called  upon  to  arise  from  our  sins, 
and  to  conquer  our  foes,  looking  for  the  glorious 
coming  of  our  Lord  in  our  souls. 

II.  Sermon  for  the  Second  Sunday  in  Advent     207 
How  that  God  is  very  near  to  us,  and  how  we  must 
seek  and  find  the  Kingdom  of  God  within   us, 
without  respect  to  time  and  place. 

III.  Sermon  for  the  Third  Sunday  in  Advent  213 

How  that  we  must  wholly  come  out  from  ourselves, 
that  we  may  go  into  the  wilderness  and  behold 
God. 

IV.  Sermon  for  Christmas  Day  .  .  .         223 

Of  the  things  by  which  we  become  children  of  God. 

V.' Sermon  for  Epiphany  .  .  .         230 

This  Sermon  on  the  Gospel  for  the  day,  from  St. 
Matthew,  showeth  how  God,  of  His  greaJ  faithful- 
ness, hath  foreseen  a7td  ordained  all  sufferings  for 
the  eternal  good  of  each  man,  in  whatever  wise  they 
befall  us,  and  whether  they  be  great  or  small. 


12  TABLE  OF   CONTENTS 

SERMON  PAGE 

VI.  Second  Sermon  for  Epiphany        .  .         237 

Showeth  on  what  wise  a  man  shall  arise  from  himselj 
and  from  all  creatures,  to  the  end  that  God  may 
ßnd  the  ground  of  his  soul  prepared,  and?nay  begin 
and  perfect  His  work  therein. 

VII.  Sermon   for  the  Fourth   Sunday  after 

Epiphany     ....  243 

Of  the  great  wonders  which  God  has  wrought,  and 
still  works  for  us  Christian  men  ;  wherefore  it  is 
Just  and  reasonable  that  we  should  turn  unto  Him 
and  follow  Him,  and  whereby  we  may  discern 
between  true  and  false  conversion, 

VIII.  Sermon    for    the    Sixth    Sunday    after 

Epiphany    .  .  .  .  .255 

Of  the  proper  marks  of  true  humility. 

IX.  Sermon  for  Septuagesima  Sunday  .         259 

In  this  Sermon  following  we  are  taught  how  we  must 
perpettially  press  forward  towards  our  highest 
good,  without  pause  or  rest ;  and  how  we  must 
labour  in  the  spiritual  vineyard  that  it  may  bring 
forth  goodfrztit. 

X.  Sermon  for  Ash  Wednesday         .  .         272 

An  Exposition  of  the  three  crosses,  that  of  Christ, 
that  of  the  malefactor  on  His  left,  and  that  of  the 
malefactor  on  His  right  hand,  how  they  are  a  type 
of  the  sufferings  of  three  classes  of  men  who  are, 
in  a  spiritual  sense,  nailed  to  these  three  crosses. 

XI.  Sermon  for  the  Second  Sunday  in  Lent  .         282 
Tells  us  how  God  drives  forward  some  of  His  children 
by  the  struggle  between  the  inward  and  outward 
man. 

XII.  Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday  in  Lent  294 

Of  the  power  of  the  Word  of  God,  of  fiery  desires,  and 
the  essence  of  self-renunciation. 

XIII.  Sermon  for  Palm  Sunday  .  .  .         299 

How  a  man  ought  in  all  His  works  to  regard  God 
alone,  and  purely  to  viake  Him  his  end  without 
anything  of  his  own,  and  shall Jrcely  and  simply 
perform  all  these  works  for  the  glory  of  God  only, 
and  not  seek  his  own,  nor  desire  7tor  expect  any 
reward.  Wherewith  he  may  do  such  works  with- 
out any  self-appropriation  or  reference  to  time  and 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS  13 


ntirnher,  before  or  after,  and  without  modes.  How 
the  Divine  Word  speaks  and  reveals  itself  in  the 
soul,  all  in  a  lofty  and  subtile  sense. 

XIV.  Sermon  for  Thursday  in  Easter  Week.         308 

How  we  ought  to  love  God,  and  hoio  Christ  is  a 
Master  of  the  Eternal  Good,  wherefore  we  ought  to 
love  Him  above  all  things  ;  a  Master  of  the  Highest 
Truth,  wherefore  we  ought  to  contemplate  Him  ; 
and  a  Master  of  the  Highest  Pcrfectness,  wherefore 
we  ought  to  follow  after  Him  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

XV.  Sermon  FOR  THE  First  Sunday  AFTER  Easter    315 

How  we  are  to  ascend  by  three  stages  to  true  peace 
and  purity  of  heart. 

XVI.  Sermon   for   the   Fourth  Sunday  after 

Easter         .....  320 

How  the  Holy  Ghost  rebukes  the  World  in  man  for 
sin,  righteousness,  and  jttdgment ;  how  hurtful  it 
is  to  judge  one's  neighbour;  after  what  fashion 
a  pious  man  may  rebuke  his  neighbour ;  further, 
what  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth  when  he  cometh  to 
us. 

XVII.  Second  Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday 

after  Easter         ....  328 

OJ  three  hindrances  which  resist  the  coining  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  three  classts  of  men. 

XVIII.  Sermon  for  Ascension  Day         .  .         334 

This  third  sermon  on  the  Ascension  tells  us  how  man 
ought  continually  to  follow  after  Christ,  as  He  has 
walked  before  us  for  three  and  thirty  years,  passing 
through  manifold  and  gj-eat  sztfferitigs,  before  He 
returned  unto  His  Father. 

XIX.  Sermon  for  Whit  Sunday  .  .         342 

How  God  drew  the  Apostles  unto  Christ  by  six 
degrees  until  they  attained  unto  union  with 
Himself  and  so  likewise  draweth  His  friends 
unto  Himself  no7v. 

XX.  Sermon   for  the   Fourth   Sunday  after 

Trinity        .....  355 

This  sermon  tellcth  us  of  four  measures  that  shall  be 
rendered  unto  man,  and  of  two  grades  of  a  godly 
life,  and  how  we  ought  to  love  our  neighbour. 


14  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

SERMON  PAGE 

XXI.   Sermon  for  the  Tenth   Sunday  after 

Trinity        .....         367 
Admonishing  each  man  to  mark  what  is  the  office 
to  which  he  is  called  of  God,  and  teaching  us  to 
practise  works  of  love  and  virtue,  and  to  refrain 
from  self-will. 

XXII.  Sermon  for  the  Twelfth  Sunday  after 

Trinity        .....         374 

leaching  us  that  we  ought  to  receive  God,  in  all 
His  gifts,  and  in  all  His  burdens,  with  true  long- 
suffering. 

XXIII.  Second  Sermon  for  the  Twelfth  Sunday 

AFTER  Trinity       .  .  .  .         380  v' 

This  sermon  tells  us  how  a  man  who  truly  loves 
God,  whose  ears  have  been  opened  to  receive  the 
sevenfold  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  neither 
lifted  up  in  joy  nor  cast  down  in  sorrow. 

XXIV.  Sermon  for  the  Fifteenth  Sunday  after 

Trinity        .  .  .  .  .         386  ^^ 

This  sermon  forbiddcth  all  carefulness,  and  telleth 
in  what  righteousness  consisteth,  and  rebukes 
sundry  religious  people  and  their  works,  likening 
their  ways  to  simony. 

XXV.  Sermon  for  St.  Stephen's  Day  .  .         395  ^ 

Of  three  grades  of  those  who  learn  to  die  unto  them- 
selves, like  a  corn  of  wheat,  that  they  may  bring 
forth  fruit ;  or  of  those  who  are  beginners,  those 
who  are  advancing,  and  those  who  are  perfect  in  a 
Divine  life. 

XXVI.  Sermon  for  St,  Peter's  Day      .  .         410    ^ 

Of  brotherly  rebuke  and  admonition,  how  far  it  is 
advisable  and  seemly  or  not,  and  especially  how 
prelates  and  governors  ought  to  demean  them- 
selves towards  their  subjects, 

XXVII.  Sermon  on  a  Martyr's  Day        .  .         416  v 

Of  three  sorts  of  spiritual  temptation  by  which  holy 
men  are  secretly  assailed ;  to  wit :  spiritual  un- 
chastity,  covetousness,  and  pride. 


Translator's   Preface 

IN  publishing  a  selection  from  the  writings  of 
a  divine  who  flourished  in  an  age  and  under 
social  conditions  so  remote  from  our  own  as 
those  of  a  German  Dominican  monk  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  it  seems  right  to  state  at  the 
outset  whether  the  aim  which  has  governed 
the  selection  is  chiefly  historical  or  devotional. 
The  present  work  was  undertaken,  in  the  first 
instance,  with  a  simply  practical  object.  My 
earhest  acquaintance  with  Tauler's  Sermons  was 
made  while  hearing  them  read  in  a  family  service  ; 
and  believing,  from  further  study,  that  they  con- 
tained elements  of  truth  not  often  brought  into 
sufficient  prominence  in  these  days,  yet  possess- 
ing a  most  direct  and  valuable  influence  on  Chris- 
tian life,  I  wished  to  compile  a  volume  of  sermons 
for  the  Sundays  and  Holydays  of  the  year,  such  as 
any  head  of  a  family  might  read  to  his  household, 
or  any  district  visitor  among  the  poor. 

To  have  carried  out  this  idea  completely  would, 
however,  have  involved  the  omission,  in  many  of 
the  sermons,  of  passages  either  too  abstruse  for 
easy  comprehension,  or  too  much  imbued  with 
references  to  the  Romish  ritual  and  disciphne,  to 
be    suitable   for   the    Protestant   common   people. 


i6  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

But  such  a  mutilation  seemed  to  me  scarcely  honest 
in  the  case  of  a  writer  now  to  be  presented  for  the 
first  time  in  a  foreign  language,  and  it  appeared 
better  therefore  to  reconcile  historical  truthfulness 
with  practical  usefulness,  by  restricting  the  selec- 
tion, but  giving  all  the  sermons  included  in  it  in 
their  complete  form.  Had  it  been  my  object  merely 
to  present  an  interesting  picture  of  a  remarkable 
man,  the  selection  would  possibly  have  been  some- 
what different, — certainly  much  wider.  As  it  is, 
I  have  chosen  the  practical  rather  than  the  more 
metaphysical  sermons,  and  have  included  none 
which  seemed  to  me,  in  my  conscientious  judgment, 
open  to  objections  as  to  their  moral  tendency. 

Among  such  I  should  reckon  some  tinctured  with 
an  asceticism  throwing  contempt  on  the  affections 
of  ordinary  life.  Of  the  duties  of  ordinary  life 
Tauler  never  speaks  disparagingly.  When  he  says 
that  the  inward  work  in  the  soul  is  more  than  all 
outward  good  works,  it  is  always  the  outward 
practices  of  religion  of  which  he  is  speaking — 
attendance  in  church,  fasting,  the  repeating  of 
prayers,  &c.  ;  never  of  the  exercise  of  active 
benevolence,  or  even  the  performance  of  minor 
household  duties.  It  is  one  good  feature  of  the 
school  to  which  he  belonged,  that  these  things  are 
restored  to  their  due  honour,  so  far  as  that  is 
compatible  with  the  whole  system  of  conventual 
life.  But  Tauler  does  teach  that  repression 
of  the  natural  affections  which  is  inevitable  so 
long  as  the  vital  idea  of  monasticism, — viz.,  the 
severance  of  the  religious  from  the  secular  in  life, — 
is  retained.  That  this  severance  is  false  and  mis- 
chievous, Tauler  no  more  perceived  than  did  the 


TRANSLATOR'S   PREFACE  17 

whole  body  of  his  contemporaries  ;  but  while  we 
have  no  right  to  censure  him  for  errors  which  he 
shared  with  all  the  men  of  his  age  (and  which  he 
often  divested  for  his  own  hearers  of  much  of  their 
baneful  influence),  it  is  equally  unnecessary  to  place 
such  doctrine  before  people  at  the  present  time. 
So,  too,  the  sermons  on  the  Mass  and  on  the  Virgin 
Mary,   while   containing   many   excellent   practical 
remarks,  are  of  course  based  on  beliefs  that  would 
render  them  unprofitable  to  the  great  multitude  of 
EngHsh  Protestants  nowadays,  and  I  did  not  deem 
it  needful  to  insert  them  merely  for  the  sake  of 
presenting  a  full  view  of  all  that  Tauler  beheved  or 
taught.     But  neither  did  it  seem  essential  to  prac- 
tical usefulness    to  eliminate  from  sermons  whose 
general  scope  is  rich  in  Christian  instruction,  all 
such  passages  as  might  contain  passing  allusions 
to  purgatory,  transubstantiation,  the  invocation  of 
saints,  &c. ;    mystical    and    figurative    interpreta- 
tions   of    Scripture,    or   questionable   philosophical 
speculations,  in  order  that  nothing  might  be  left 
but  what  Protestant  Christians  at  the  present  day 
actually  believe.     For  private  reading  it  is  the  less 
necessary,  as  it  is  often  curious  and  instructive  to 
observe  how  Tauler,  in  many  cases,  suppUes  the 
practical  antidote  to  the  hurtful  effects  of  a  Romish 
doctrine  without  in  the  least  seeing  through  the 
doctrine  itself  ;  while,  should  these  sermons  be  used, 
as  I  earnestly  wish  they  may  be,  for  family  reading, 
it  will  be  very  easy  to  omit  anything  which  it  might 
be  undesirable  to  read  to  uneducated  persons. 

With  regard  to  those  not  included,  the  greater 
number  have  been  rejected  simply  because  many  of 
their  ideas  occurred  in  the  sermons  which  I  have 

B 


i8  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

chosen,  and  I  was  anxious  to  avoid  repetition ;  and 
among  these  many  were  so  good  as  to  render  the 
task  of  selection  very  difficult.  A  very  small  pro- 
portion have  been  omitted  on  account  of  their 
Romish  doctrine  ;  more  because  of  their  obscure 
mysticism,  and  a  few  because  they  contained 
figures  that  would  sound  coarse,  or  at  least  gro- 
tesque and  unsuitable  for  the  pulpit,  to  our  modem 
ears.  I  believe  that  those  I  have  given  may  be 
regarded,  from  the  absence  of  omissions,  and  the 
variety  of  their  scope,  as  furnishing,  on  the  whole,  a 
correct  picture  of  the  mind  and  faith  of  their  author. 
The  edition  of  Tauler's  Sermons  which  I  have 
used  for  my  Translation  is  that  published  at  Frank- 
fort in  1826.  Among  the  numerous  ancient  and 
modern  editions  of  these  Sermons,  that  published 
at  Leipsic,  in  1498,  holds  the  highest  rank  as  an 
authority  ;  but  of  this,  now  very  rare  work,  it  has 
not  been  in  my  power  to  consult  a  copy  ;  and  of  the 
later  editions  that  of  Frankfort  is  the  best.  It  is 
based  upon  an  edition  published  at  Cologne  in  1543, 
and  contains  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  sermons  ; 
only  eighty-four  of  these,  however,  are  to  be  found 
in  the  MSS.  now  extant.  Many  of  the  MSS.  have, 
indeed,  only  portions  of  these  eighty-four ;  but  the 
best  and  oldest  are  also  the  most  complete.  They 
are  two  which  are  in  the  Strasburg  Library,  and 
are  most  probably  contemporary  with  Tauler 
himself,— certainly  not  of  much  later  origin.  The 
oldest  printed  edition,  too,  that  of  Leipsic,  in  1498, 
has  only  these  eighty-four  sermons.  These  are, 
therefore,  all  of  whose  genuineness  we  have  distinct 
certainty  from  external  evidence.  In  an  edition, 
however,  which  Johann  Rynmann  published  at  Basle 


TRANSLATOR'S   PREFACE  19 

in  1521  (probably  induced  to  do  so  by  Luther's 
republication  of  the  Theologia  Germanica,  in  15 17, 
and  his  recommendation  of  Tauler's  writings  to 
his  friends*),  forty-two  more  sermons  are  added 
with  the  preface :  "  Here  foUoweth  the  second 
part  of  the  sermons  of  the  said  John  Tauler,  which 
have  been  more  recently  discovered,  and  collected 
with  great  care  and  diligence.  Although  there 
may  be  a  doubt  about  some  of  them,  let  not  that 
offend  thee  ;  for  it  is  certain  that  they  have  been 
written  by  a  right  learned  man  of  his  age,  and  are 
all  based  on  one  foundation,  namely,  true  self-sur- 
render and  the  preparation  of  the  spirit  for  God." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  several  of  these  are 
not  productions  of  Tauler  ;  and  Surius,  in  his  Latin 
Edition  of  1548,  appends  the  names  of  the  authors 
Eckart,  Suso,  Ruysbroek,  in  several  instances 
where  he  had  ascertained  them, — in  which  the 
Frankfort  Editor  follows  his  example.!  The  styles 
of  Eckart  and  Suso  are,  indeed,  very  distinguishable 
from  Tauler's.  That  of  Ruysbroek  seems  to  me 
less  so.  Finally,  the  Cologne  Edition  of  1543,  which 
has  been  the  basis  of  all  the  later  editions  of  Tauler's 
Sermons,  adds  twenty-five  more,  and  among  these, 
too,  some  by  the  authors  already  named  have  crept 


*  Thus  he  writes  to  Spalatin  in  Dec.  1516  :  "  Si  te  delectat  puram, 
solidam,  antique  "  simillimam  theologiam  legere,  in  Germanica  lingua 
effusam  ;  Sermones  Johannis  Tauleri,  prsedictoriae  professionis,  tibi  com- 
parare  potes,  cujus  totius  velut  epitomen  ecce  hie  tibi  mitto.  Neque 
enim  vel  in  Latina,  vel  in  nostra  lingua  theologiam  vidi  salubriorem  et 
cum  Evangelio  consonantiorem.  Gusta  ergo  et  vide,  quam  suavis  est 
Dominus,  ubi  prius  gustaris,  et  videbis  quam  amarum  est,  quicquid  nos 
sumus." — De  Wette,  Martin  Luther's  Briefe,  &^c..  Band  i.  Berlin, 
1825. 

f  It  is  to  the  Preface  of  the  Frankfort  Editor  that  I  am  indebted  for 
these  particulars  respecting  the  different  editions  of  Tauler's  Sermons. 


20  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

in.  Still,  I  cannot  see  any  reason  to  question  the 
statement  of  the  Editor,  Petrus  Noviomagus,  who 
says  : — "  Having  made  research  in  all  directions, 
that  I  might  obtain  the  most  correctly-copied  MSS., 
I  have  at  last,  in  1542,  found  in  the  library  of  St. 
Gertrude's,  at  Cologne  (where  the  said  Doctor  had 
his  abode,  and  was  wont  to  preach  God's  word),  and 
also  in  some  other  places,  old  written  books,  in 
which  many  excellent,  nay,  some  of  the  best  of 
Tauler's  Sermons  stand  clearly  written,  which  have 
not  yet  been  printed  or  made  public." 

Tauler  did  not  himself  write  down  his  discourses, 
but  they  were  compiled  from  notes  taken  by  his 
hearers,  which  accounts  ;  at  once  for  the  frag- 
mentary character  of  the  style,  and  for  the  great 
number  of  various  readings  to  be  found  in  the 
different  editions.  It  is  important  to  bear  this 
circumstance  in  mind  in  judging  of  the  style  of  the 
following  sermons.  It  seems  highly  probable  that 
the  eighty-four  sermons  contained  in  the  Strasburg 
MSS.  were  published  during  his  hfe  and  received 
his  own  corrections ;  but  there  appear  no  ade- 
quate grounds  for  supposing  that  these  eighty-four 
are  the  only  genuine  ones  we  possess  ;  for  in  the 
numerous  places  where  Tauler  preached,  many  of 
his  sermons  would  probably  be  taken  down  by 
single  hearers,  which  in  those  times  of  rare  and 
difficult  communication,  were  never  brought  under 
the  notice  of  the  Strasburg  Collector,  but,  as  his 
fame  spread  in  after  years,  came  to  be  gradu- 
ally put  into  the  hands  of  later  collectors  by  their 
possessors,  as  seems  to  have  been  the  case  with 
those  of  which  Petrus  Noviomagus  speaks. 

The  Frankfort  Edition  has  not,  however,  been 


TRANSLATOR'S   PREFACE  21 

the  sole   source   of   the  following   translation  ;  for 
with  great  generosity,  for  which  I  beg  to  tender  him 
my  warmest  thanks,  Professor  Schmidt    of  Stras- 
burg, has  placed  at  my  disposal  a  transcript  made 
by  himself  from  the  most  ancient  manuscript  extant, 
by  which  I  have  corrected  those  of  the  following 
collection,  which  belong  to  the  first  eighty -four. 
In  a  very  few  passages  only  have  I  retained  the 
version  of  the  Frankfort  Edition,  where  the  sense 
was  so  evidently  clearer  and  fuller  as  to  indicate  a 
high  probability  that  the  later  collector  had  had  the 
opportunity  of  consulting  fuller  notes  than  his  more 
ancient  predecessor.     This,  however,  is  very  rarely 
the  case  ;    in  general  the  oldest  version  is  so  much 
the  best  as  to  give  great  force  to  the  supposition 
generally  entertained  that  it  had  been  corrected 
by  the  author  himself.     Of  the  foUowing  collection 
Nos.  5,  6,  9,  II,  16,  18,  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  may  be 
thus  said  to  be,  in  effect,  translated  from  the  Stras- 
burg MS.    The  Frankfort  Editor  gives  the  sources 
from  which  he  has  taken  his  version  of  the  ser- 
mons, and  upon  this  authority  I  may  mention  that 
Nos.  3,  4,  7,  8,  10,  13,  14,  17.  25,  26,  27,  are  from  the 
Appendix  to  the  Basle  Edition  of  1521  ;  and  Nos. 
I,  2,  12,  15,  19,  from  that  of  the  Cologne  Edition  of 
1543.     The  sermon  No.  2,  is  marked   as  Eckart's  in 
the  Frankfort  Edition,  and  No.  4  as  most  probably 
the  production  of  a  disciple  of  his,  commonly  called 
Eckart,  junior.     It  is,  however,  somewhat  doubtful 
whether  the  two  Eckarts  were  not  in  truth  one  and 
the  same.     The  Cologne  Editor  expresses  the  wish 
that  "  God  would  anoint  some  man  enlightened  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  render  this  precious  treasure 
into  Latin  for  the  comfort  of  many  who  desire  it ;  " 


22  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

and  this  wish  was  fulfilled  in  1543,  by  the  Car- 
thusian, Laurentius  Surius,  the  translator  also  of 
the  works  of  Suso  and  Ruysbroek. 

The  principal  sources  from  which  my  sketch  of 
Tauler  and  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  has  been  derived, 
are  furnished  by  Professor  Schmidt  of  Strasburg, 
in  his  Johannes  Tauler  von  Strasburg  ;  his  essay  on 
Eckart  in  the  Theologische  Studien  und  Kritiken, 
1839,  P-  684 ;  and  his  work,  Die  Gottesfreunde 
im  Vierzehnten  Jahrhundert,  Jena,  1855.  I  have, 
however,  also  to  acknowledge  my  obHgations  to 
Wackemagel's  essay  on  the  Gottes  freunde  in  the 
Beitraege  zur  Vaterlaendischen  Geschichte  (Basle, 
1843,  B.  ii.  s.  Ill) ;  to  Neander's  Kirchengeschichte  ; 
Hase's  Kirchengeschichte ;  Milman's  Latin  Chris- 
tianity, &c. 

Any  one  acquainted  with  the  admirable  Essays 
of  Professor  Schmidt,  above-named,  will  perceive 
how  largely  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  the  facts  of 
Tauler's  hfe,  and  the  account  of  Eckart ;  but  will 
also  observe  that  my  theory  of  them  is,  in  some 
points,  very  different  from  that  of  M.  Schmidt. 
For  my  notices  of  the  Gottesfreunde,  his  recent  work 
has  furnished  the  whole  of  the  facts  ;  but,  again,  it 
is  only  fair  to  state  that  for  the  light  in  which  I 
regard  these  facts,  I  am  alone  responsible. 


Preface  by  the 
Rev.  Charles    Kingsley 

IT  is  with  great  diffidence  that  I  have  under- 
taken to  furnish  a  preface  to  these  Sermons. 
It  must  always  be  an  invidious  task  to  stand  to- 
ward a  far  wiser  and  better  man  than  one's  self  in 
a  relation  which  is  likely,  at  every  moment,  to  be 
mistaken  either  for  that  of  a  critic  or  that  of  a 
commentator. 

The  critic  of  Tauler,  no  man  has  a  right  to  become, 
who  has  not  first  ascertained  that  he  is  a  better  man 
than  Tauler. 

The  commentator  of  Tauler,  no  man  has  a  right  to 
become,  who  has  a  strong  behef  (as  I  have)  that 
Tauler's  Sermons  need  no  comment  whatsoever  : 
but  that  all  which  is  good  and  eternal  in  them  will 
recommend  itself  at  once  to  those  hearts,  let  their 
form  of  doctrine  be  what  it  may,  who  have  hold  of, 
or  are  seeking  after,  Eternal  Goodness. 

The  historical  and  biographical  information  which 
may  be  necessary  for  a  right  understanding  of  the 
man  and  his  times,  will  be  found  in  the  Life  and 
the  Introductory  Notice  which  are  appended  to 
the  Sermons ;  while  any  notions  of  mine  as  to 
the  genesis   of  Tauler's  views,  as  to  how  much  of 


24     CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE 

them  he  owed  to  divines,  how  much  to  his  own 
vital  experiences,  are  likely  to  be  equally  unsafe 
and  uninteresting.  The  English  churchman  of 
the  present  day,  enjoying  a  form  of  doctrine  far 
more  correct  than  that  of  any  other  communion, 
and  resting  on  the  sound  dogma  that  nothing  is  to 
be  believed  as  necessary  to  salvation  but  what  can 
be  proved  by  Scripture,  has  (whether  rightly  or 
wrongly,  I  do  not  here  ask)  become  so  satisfied  with 
the  good  fruit,  as  to  think  httle  of  the  tree  which 
bore  it.  The  Church  controversies,  and  the  meta- 
physical inquiries,  by  which,  after  many  mistakes, 
and  long  struggles,  that  form  of  doctrine  was  ehcited 
from  Scripture,  are  to  him  shadows  of  the  past, 
and  "  Schoolmen's  questions."  The  element  in  the 
ancient  worthies  of  the  Church  which  is  most  in- 
teresting to  him  is  their  human  sorrows,  tempta- 
tions, triumphs,  with  which,  as  having  happened  in 
men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves,  we  still  'can 
sympathise.  We  cannot,  however,  now  under- 
stand how  strong  and  generally  just  an  influence 
those  private  and  personal  experiences  had,  in 
forming  the  opinions  of  the  old  worthies  upon 
Scriptural  doctrines,  which  we  have  been  taught 
from  childhood  to  find  in  Scripture,  and  are  there- 
fore astonished,  if  not  indignant,  that  every  one 
in  every  age  did  not  find  them  there  at  first 
sight. 

Thus,  standing  upon  the  accumulated  labours  of 
ages,  we  are  apt  to  be  ungrateful  to  those  who  built 
up  with  weary  labour,  and  often  working  through 
dark  and  dreary  nights,  the  platform  which  now 
supports  us.  We  complain  impatiently  of  the 
blindness  of  many  a  man,  without  whom  we  should 


CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     25 

not  have  seen  ;  and  of  the  incompleteness  of  many 
a  man  whose  doctrine  was  only  incomplete  because 
he  was  still  engaged  in  searching  for  some  truth, 
which,  when  found,  he  handed  on  as  a  precious 
heirloom  to  us  who  know  him  not. 

For  the  many,  therefore,  it  will  be  altogether 
uninteresting  for  me  to  enter  into  any  specula- 
tion as  to  the  spiritual  pedigree  of  Tauler's  views. 
How  far  Philo-Judaeus  and  the  Brahmins  may 
have  influenced  the  Pseudo  -  Dionysius  ;  how  far 
the  Pseudo  -  Dionysius  may  have  influenced  John 
Erigena ;  how  far  that  wondrous  Irishman  may 
have  influenced  Master  Eckart ;  how  far  that  vast 
and  subtle  thinker,  claimed  by  some  as  the  founder 
of  German  philosophy,  may  have  influenced  Tauler 
himself,  are  questions  for  which  the  many  will  care 
little  ;  which  would  require  to  be  discussed  in  a 
large  volume,  ere  the  question  could  not  merely 
be  exhausted,  but  made  intelligible.  Such  matters 
may  well  be  left  for  learned  and  large-minded  men, 
to  whom  the  development  of  Christian  doctrine 
(both  in  the  true  and  the  false  sense  of  that  word) 
is  a  scientific  study. 

But  let  me  express  a  hope,  that  such  men  will  turn 
their  attention  more  and  more,  not  merely  to  the 
works  of  Tauler,  but  to  those  of  his  companions,  and 
to  that  whole  movement  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
of  which  Tauler  is  the  most  popular  and  easily 
accessible  type,  as  to  a  most  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive page  in  the  book  of  Christian,  and  indeed 
of  human,  thought.  I  say  human ;  for  it  will  be 
impossible  for  them  to  examine  the  works  of  such 
men  as  Erigena,  Tauler,  Eckart,  and  Ruysbroek, 
any  more  than  those  of  the  later  mystics,  whether 


26     CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE 

Romish  or  Protestant,  without  finding  that  their 
speculations,  whether  right  or  wrong  in  any  given 
detail,  go  down  to  the  very  deepest  and  most 
universal  grounds  of  theology  and  of  metaphysics  ; 
and  howsoever  distinctly  Christian  they  may  be,  are 
connected  with  thoughts  which  have  exercised  men 
of  every  race  which  has  left  behind  it  more  than 
mere  mounds  of  earth.  They  will  find  in  the 
Greek,  the  Persian,  and  the  Hindoo ;  in  the  Budd- 
hist and  in  Mohammedan  Sufi,  the  same  craving 
after  the  Absolute  and  the  Eternal,  the  same  attempt 
to  express  in  words  that  union  between  man  and 
God,  which  transcends  all  words.  On  making  that 
discovery,  if  they  have  not  already  made  it,  two 
courses  will  be  open  to  them.  They  can  either 
reject  the  !  whole  of  such  thoughts  as  worthless, 
assuming  that  anything  which  Christianity  has  in 
common  with  heathendom  must  be  an  adulteration 
and  an  interpolation ;  or,  when  they  see  such 
thoughts  bubbling  up,  as  it  were  spontaneously, 
among  men  divided  utterly  from  each  other  by 
race,  age,  and  creed,  they  can  conclude  that  those 
thoughts  must  be  a  normal  product  of  the  human 
spirit,  and  that  they  indicate  a  healthy  craving  after 
some  real  object ;  they  can  rise  to  a  tender  and 
deeper  sjnnpathy  with  the  aspirations  and  mistakes 
of  men  who  sought  in  great  darkness  for  a  ray  of 
light,  and  did  not  seek  in  vain  ;  and  can  give  fresh 
glory  to  the  doctrines  of  the  CathoUc  Church  when 
they  see  them  fulfiUing  those  aspirations,  and 
correcting  those  mistakes  ;  and  in  this  case,  as  in 
others,  satisfying  the  desire  of  all  nations,  by  pro- 
claiming Him  by  whom  all  things  were  made,  and 
in  whom  all  things  consist,  who  is  The  Light  and  The 


CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     27 

Life  of  men,  shining  for  ever  in  the  darkness,  un- 
comprehended,  yet  unquenched. 

There  is  another  class  of  readers  worthy  of  all 
respect,  who  may  be  dissatisfied,  if  not  startled,  by 
many  passages  in  these  sermons.  Men  well  skilled 
in  the  terminology  of  the  popular  religion,  and  from 
long  experience,  well  acquainted  with  its  value,  are 
apt  to  be  jealous  when  they  find  a  preacher  handling 
the  highest  matters,  and  yet  omitting  to  use  con- 
cerning them  the  formulae  in  which  they  are  now 
commonly  expressed.  Such  men  I  would  entreat 
to  have  patience  with,  and  charity  for,  a  man  whose 
character  they  must  so  heartily  admire.  Let  them 
remember  that  many  of  our  own  formulae  are  not 
to  be  found  verbatim  in  Holy  Writ,  but  have  been 
gradually  extracted  from  it  by  processes  of  in- 
duction or  of  deduction;  and  let  them  allow  to 
Tauler,  as  far  as  is  consistent  with  orthodoxy, 
Christian  hberty  to  find  likewise  what  he  can  in  that 
Scripture,  which  he  reveres  as  deeply  as  they  do. 
Let  them  consider  also,  that  most  of  those  expres- 
sions of  his  which  are  most  strange  to  our  modem 
pulpits,  are  strictly  Scriptural,  and  to  be  found  in 
the  Sacred  Text ;  and  that  no  man  can  be  blamed 
at  first  sight  for  understanding  such  expressions 
literally,  and  for  shrinking  from  reducing  them  to 
metaphors.  God  has  ordained  that  the  Pauline 
aspect  of  Christianity,  and  the  Pauline  nomen- 
clature, should  for  the  last  three  hundred  years  at 
least,  mould  almost  exclusively  the  thoughts  of 
His  church  :  but  we  must  not  forget,  that  St.  John's 
thoughts,  and  St.  John's  words,  are  equally  in- 
spired with  those  of  St.  Paul ;  and  that  not  we, 
but  Tauler,  are  the  fit  judges  as  to  whether  St.  Paul's 


28  CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE 

language,  or  St.  John's,  was  most  fit  to  touch  the 
German  heart  in  the  dark  and  hideous  times  of  the 
Fourteenth  Century.  The  important  question  is — 
Did  Tauler,  under  whatsoever  language,  really  hold 
in  spirit  and  in  truth  the  vital  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  ?  That  can  only  be  ascertained  by  a  fair 
and  charitable  induction,  and  of  the  result  of  such 
an  induction  I  have  little  fear. 

Some  again,  whose  opinions  will  be  entitled  to  the 
very  highest  respect,  will  be  pained  at  the  fantastic 
and  arbitrary  method  (if  method  it  can  be  called)  in 
which  Tauler  uses  Scripture  to  illustrate  his  opinions. 
Let  them  remember,  that  this  was  not  a  peculiarity 
of  the  man,  but  of  his  age  ;  that  for  various  reasons, 
a  simple,  literal,  and  historic  method  of  interpreta- 
tion (which  doubtless  is  at  the  same  time  the  most 
spiritual)  was  then  in  its  infancy  ;  that  it  is  by  no 
means  perfect  yet ;  and  that  it  is  quite  possible 
that  our  great  grandchildren  may  be  as  much 
surprised  at  our  use  of  many  a  text,  as  we  are  at 
Tauler's. 

But  there  are  those — and  thanks  to  Almighty 
God  they  are  to  be  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands — 
who  will  not  perplex  themselves  with  any  such 
questionings  ;  simple  and  genial  hearts,  who  try  to 
do  what  good  they  can  in  the  world,  and  meddle 
not  with  matters  too  high  for  them  ;  persons  whose 
rehgion  is  not  abstruse,  but  deep  ;  not  noisy,  but 
intense ;  not  aggressive,  but  laboriously  useful ; 
people  who  have  the  same  habit  of  mind  as  the  early 
Christians  seem  to  have  worn,  ere  yet  Catholic  truth 
had  been  defined  in  formulae  ;  when  the  Apostles* 
creed  was  symbol  enough  for  the  Church,  and  men 
were  orthodox  in  heart,  rather  than  exact  in  head. 


CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     29 

For  such  it  is  enough  if  a  fellow-creature  loves  Him 
whom  they  love,  and  serves  Him  whom  they  serve. 
Personal  affection  and  loyalty  to  the  same  unseen 
Being  is  to  them  a  communion  of  saints  both 
real  and  actual,  in  the  genial  warmth  of  which 
all  minor  differences  of  opinion  vanish,  and  a  truly 
divine  liberality  enables  them  to  believe  with  St. 
John,  that  "  Thereby  know  ye  the  spirit  of  God : 
every  spirit  that  confesses  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
come  in  the  flesh  is  bom  of  God." 

To  such  these  sermons  should  be,  and  I  doubt  not 
will  be,  welcome.  If  they  find  words  in  them  which 
they  do  not  understand,  even  words  from  which  at 
first  sight  they  differ,  they  will  let  them  pass  them  by 
for  awhile,  in  charity  and  patience.  Seeing  (as  they 
will  see  at  the  first  glance)  that  John  Tauler  was 
one  of  themselves,  they  will  judge  of  what  they  do 
not  understand  by  what  they  do,  and  give  him 
credit  for  sense  and  righteousness,  where  their  own 
intellects  fail  to  follow  him. 

Especially  too,  if  they  be  distracted  and  dis- 
heartened (as  such  are  wont  to  be)  by  the  sin  and 
confusion  of  the  world  ;  by  the  amoimt  of  God's 
work  which  still  remains  undone,  and  by  their  own 
seeming  incapacity  to  do  it,  they  will  take  heart  from 
the  history  of  John  Tauler  and  his  fellows,  who,  in 
far  darker  and  more  confused  time  than  the  present, 
found  a  work  to  do,  and  strength  to  do  it ;  who, 
the  more  they  retired  into  the  recesses  of  their  own 
inner  life,  found  there  that  fully  to  know  themselves 
was  to  know  all  men,  and  to  have  a  message  for  all 
men  ;  and  who,  by  their  unceasing  labours  of  love, 
proved  that  the  highest  spiritual  attainments, 
instead  of  shutting  a  man  up  in  lazy  and  Pharisaic 


30     CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE 

self-contemplation,  drive  him  forth  to  work  as  his 
Master  worked  before  him,  among  the  poor,  the 
suffering,  and  the  fallen. 

Let  such  take  heart,  and  toil  on  in  faith  at  the 
duty  which  lies  nearest  to  them.  Five  hundred 
years  have  passed  since  Tauler  and  his  fellows  did 
their  simple  work,  and  looked  for  no  fruit  from  it, 
but  the  saving  of  one  here  and  there  from  the  nether 
pit.  That  was  enough  for  which  to  labour :  but 
without  knowing  it,  they  did  more  than  that.  Their 
work  lives,  and  will  hve  for  ever,  though  in  forms 
from  which  they  would  have  perhaps  shrunk  had 
they  foreseen  them.  Let  all  such  therefore  take 
heart.  They  may  know  their  own  weakness  :  but 
they  know  not  the  power  of  God  in  them.  They 
may  think  sadly  that  they  are  only  palliating  the 
outward  s3nTiptoms  of  social  and  moral  disease  : 
but  God  may  be  striking,  by  some  unconscious 
chance  blow  of  theirs,  at  a  root  of  evil  which  they 
never  suspected.  They  may  mourn  over  the  failure 
of  some  seemingly  useful  plan  of  their  own  :  but 
God  may  be,  by  their  influence,  sowing  the  seed  of 
some  plan  of  His  own,  of  which  they  little  dream. 
For  every  good  deed  comes  from  God.  His  is  the 
idea.  His  the  inspiration,  and  His  its  fulfilment  in 
time  ;  and  therefore  no  good  deed  but  lives  and 
grows  with  the  everlasting  hfe  of  God  Himself.  And 
as  the  acorn,  because  God  has  given  it  "  a  forming 
form,"  and  life  after  its  kind,  bears  within  it,  not 
only  the  builder  oak,  but  shade  for  many  a  herd, 
food  for  countless  animals,  and  at  last,  the  gallant 
ship  itself,  and  the  materials  of  every  use  to  which 
nature  or  art  can  put  it  and  its  descendants  after 
it  throughout  all  time ;    so  does  every  good  deed 


CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     31 

contain  within  itself  endless  and  unexpected  possi- 
bilities of  other  good,  which  may  and  will  grow  and 
multiply  for  ever,  in  the  genial  Light  of  Him  whose 
eternal  Mind  conceived  it,  and  whose  eternal  Spirit 
will  for  ever  quicken  it,  with  that  Life  of  which  He  is 
the  Giver  and  the  Lord. 

There  is  another  class  of  readers,  to  whom  I  expect 
these  sermons  to  be  at  once  very  attractive  and  very 
valuable  ;  a  class  of  whom  I  speak  with  extreme 
diffidence,  having  never  had  their  experiences  ;  and 
of  whom  I  should  not  have  spoken  at  all,  were  they 
not  just  now  as  much  depreciated,  as  they  were  in 
past  centuries  rated  too  highly  ;  I  mean  those  who 
are  commonly  called  "  Mystics."  Doubtless,  they 
are  paying  a  penalty  for  that  extravagant  adoration 
which  was  bestowed  of  old  upon  the  "  Saint." 
Mankind  has  discovered  that  much  of  what  once, 
in  such  persons,  seemed  most  divine,  was  most 
painfully  human  ;  that  much  of  what  seemed  most 
supernatural,  was  but  too  degradingly  natural, 
the  consequences  of  diseased  brain,  deranged  nervous 
system,  or  weakness  brought  on  by  voluntary 
asceticism  ;  and  so  mankind,  angry  with  its  idols 
for  having  a  flaw  anywhere,  has  dashed  them 
peevishly  to  the  ground.  Would  it  not  have  been 
better  to  give  up  making  idols  of  such  persons, 
and  to  have  examined  patiently,  charitably,  and 
philosophically  what  they  really  were,  and  what 
they  were  not  ?  By  so  doing,  I  believe,  men  would 
have  found  that  in  these  mystics  and  saints,  after 
all  bodily  illusions,  all  nervous  fantasies,  all  pardon- 
able "  confusions  between  the  object  and  the  subject," 
had  been  eliminated,  there  still  remained,  in  each 
and  every  one  of  them,  and  not  to  be  explained 


32     CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE 

away  by  any  theory  of  diseased  body  or  mind,  one  of 
the  very  lovehest  and  noblest  human  characters  ;  and 
on  that  discovery  the  question  must  have  followed, 
— Was  that,  too,  the  product  of  disease  ?  And  to 
that  there  can  be,  I  trust,  but  one  answer  from 
the  many.  If  here  and  there  a  man  shall  be 
found  daring  enough  to  assert  that  the  most  ex- 
quisite developments  of  humanity  are  grounded 
on  a  lie  ;  that  its  seemingly  loveliest  flowers  are 
but  fungi  bred  of  corruption ;  then  the  general 
heart  of  mankind  will  give  their  cynicism  the 
lie,  and  answer,  "  Not  so  !  this  is  too  beautiful 
and  too  righteous  to  have  been  bom  of  aught  but 
God." 

And  when  they  found  these  persons,  whatsoever 
might  be  their  "  denomination,"  all  inclined  to  claim 
some  illumination,  intuition,  or  direct  vision  of 
Eternal  truth,  Eternal  good,  Eternal  beauty,  even  of 
that  Eternal  Father  in  whom  all  live  and  move  and 
have  their  being  ;  yet  making  that  claim  in  deepest 
humility,  amid  confessions  of  their  own  weakness, 
sinfulness,  nothingness,  which  to  the  self-satisfied 
many  seem  exaggerated  and  all  but  insincere  ;  they 
would  have  been,  perhaps,  more  philosophical,  as 
well  as  more  charitable  ;  more  in  accordance  with 
Baconian  induction,  as  well  as  with  Saint  Paul's 
direct  assertions  in  his  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians, 
if  they  had  said  :  "  The  testimony  of  so  many 
isolated  persons  to  this  fact  is  on  the  whole  a  fair 
probability  for  its  truth  ;  and  we  are  inclined  to 
beheve  it,  though  it  transcends  our  experience,  on 
the  same  ground  that  we  believe  the  united  testi- 
mony,  of  travellers  to  a  hundred  natural  wonders, 
which'differ  as  utterly  from  anything  which  we  ever 


CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     33 

saw,  as  do  these  spiritual  wonders  from  anything 
which  we  have  ever  felt." 

And,  if  men  are  willing  (as  they  may  be  hereafter) 
patiently  to  examine  the  facts  still  further,  they 
may  possibly  find,  in  the  very  circumstances  which 
now  make  them  scornfully  incredulous  of  "  mystic 
raptures,"  a  moral  justification  of  their  reality. 

It  will  be  found  that  these  "  mystics  "  are,  in 
almost  every  case,  persons  who  are  suffering ; 
perhaps  disappointed,  perhaps  lonely,  perhaps  un- 
healthy, perhaps  all  three  at  once,  bereaved  of  all 
social  comfort,  and  tortured  with  disease. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  say  that  such  persons  are 
especially  liable  to  melancholic  delusions,  Hable  to 
mistake  the  action  of  their  diseased  nerves  for 
external  apparitions  and  voices  ;  hable,  from  weak- 
ness of  brain,  and  the  too  intense  self -introspec- 
tion which  disease  often  brings  with  it,  to  invest 
trifling  accidents  with  an  undue  importance,  and  to 
regard  them  as  supernatural  monitions.  Be  it  so. 
Mystics  in  all  ages  have  not  been  unaware  of  their 
own  dangers,  their  own  Habihty  to  mistakes  ;  and 
have  tried  to  distinguish,  by  such  canons  as  their 
age  afforded  them,  the  false  from  the  true,  the 
fleshly  from  the  spiritual.  But  meanwhile,  has  this 
hypothesis  no  moral  justice,  and  therefore  moral 
probability  (which  must  always  depend  on  the 
amount  of  moral  justice  involved  in  any  given 
hypothesis), — namely,  the  hypothesis  that  to  these 
lonely  sufferers  more  was  granted  than  to  the  many, 
because  they  needed  more  ?  that  some  direct  and 
inward  "  beatific  vision  "  of  God  was  allowed  to 
them,  because  they  had  no  opportunity  of  gaining 
any  indirect  and  outward  one  from  a  smiling  world, 
c 


34     CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE 

seen  in  the  light  of  a  ioyful  heart  ?  There  are  those 
who  have  health  and  strength,  health  and  beauty, 
wife  and  child  ;  a  past  which  it  is  pleasant  to  re- 
member, and  a  future  which  it  is  pleasant  to  work 
out.  Such  find  no  difficulty  in  saying  that  God  is 
Love  ;  that  God  cares  for  them,  and  His  mercy  is 
over  all  his  works.  But  if  they  had  lain,  and  lain 
perhaps  from  childhood,  in  the  lowest  deep,  in  the 
place  of  darkness,  and  of  storm,  while  lover  and 
friend  were  hid  away  from  them,  and  they  sat  upon 
the  parching  rock,  like  Rizpah,  the  daughter  of 
Aiah,  beside  the  corpses  of  their  dead  sons,  dead 
hopes,  dead  health,  dead  love,  as  on  a  ghastly 
battlefield,  stript  among  the  dead,  like  those 
who  are  wounded,  and  cut  away  from  God's  hand ; 
if  they  had  struggled  in  the  horrible  mire  of  per- 
plexity, and  felt  all  God's  billows  and  waves  go  over 
them,  till  they  were  weary  of  crying,  and  their  throats 
were  dry,  and  their  sight  failed  them  with  watching 
so  long  for  their  God,  and  all  the  faith  and  prayer 
which  was  left  them  was  :  "  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  in  hell,  neither  suffer  Thy  holy  one  to  see 
corruption  " — If  all  this — or  less  than  this  had  come 
upon  them  ;  then  they  might  have  felt  it  not  alto- 
gether so  easy  to  say  that  God  is  Love.  They,  too, 
might  have  longed  for  some  inward  proof,  some 
token  which  transcends  all  argument,  that  though 
they  go  down  to  hell,  God  is  there  ;  that  in  their 
most  utter  doubt  and  darkness,  and  desolation,  all 
is  well ;  for  they  dwell  in  God,  and  God  in  them. 
They  might  have  longed  for  it :  and  God  might 
have  been  just  and  merciful  in  giving  it  to  them  ; 
as  He  may  have  been  in  giving  it  already  to  thou- 
sands, who  by  no  other  means  could  have  been 


CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE     35 

able  to  face  the  fearful  storm  of  circumstances, 
which  seemed  to  proclaim  the  Devil,  and  not  God, 
the  master  of  the  world.  Why  not  let  the  mystics 
tell  their  own  story  ?  It  is  more  philosophical,  after 
all,  perhaps,  as  well  as  more  Scriptural,  to  believe 
that  "  wisdom  is  justified  of  all  her  children." 

As  for  the  impossibihty  of  such  a  direct  assurance, 
it  is  an  assertion  too  silly  to  be  seriously  answered  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  which  is  revealing  weekly 
wonders  in  the  natural  world,  which  would  have 
seemed  impossible  to  our  fathers.  Shall  the  natural 
world,  at  every  great  step,  transcend  our  boldest 
dreams  :  and  shall  the  spiritual  world  be  hmited  by 
us  to  the  merest  commonplaces  of  everyday  ex- 
perience, especially  when  those  very  commonplaces 
are  yet  utterly  unexplained  and  miraculous  ?  When 
will  men  open  their  eyes  to  the  plain  axiom,  that 
nothing  is  impossible  with  God,  save  that  He  should 
transgress  His  own  nature  by  being  unjust  and 
unloving  ? 

But  whether  or  not  the  popular  religion  shall 
justify  and  satisfy  the  aspirations  of  the  mystics, 
Tauler's  sermons  will  do  so.  They  will  find  there 
the  same  spiritual  food  which  they  have  found 
already  in  St.  Bernard,  a  Kempis,  and  Madame 
Guyon  ;  and  find  there  also,  perhaps  more  clearly 
than  in  any  mystic  writer,  a  safeguard  against  the 
dangers  which  specially  beset  them  ;  against  the 
danger  of  mistaking  their  passing  emotions  for  real 
and  abiding  love  of  good  ;  against  exalting  any 
peculiar  intuition  which  they  may  think  they  have 
attained,  into  a  source  of  self-glorification,  and 
fancying  that  they  become  something,  by  the  act 
of  confessing  themselves  nothing.     For  with  Tauler, 


36     CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S   PREFACE 

whether  he  be  right  or  wrong  in  any  given  detail, 
practical  righteousness,  of  the  divinest  and  loftiest 
kind,  is  at  once  the  object,  and  the  means,  and  the 
test,  of  all  upward  steps.  God  is  the  Supreme  Good 
which  man  is  intended  to  behold  :  but  only  by  being 
inspired  by  Him,  owing  all  to  Him,  and  copying 
Him,  can  he  behold  Him,  and  in  that  sight  find  his 
highest  reward,  and  heaven  itself. 

But  there  are  those  oppressed  by  doubts,  and 
fears,  and  sorrows,  very  different  from  those  of  which 
I  have  just  spoken,  who  may  find  in  Tauler's  genial 
and  funny  pages  a  light  which  will  stand  them  in 
good  stead  in  many  an  hour  of  darkness.  There  are 
those,  heaped  beyond  desert  with  every  earthly 
bliss,  who  have  had  to  ask  themselves,  in  awful 
earnest,  the  question  which  all  would  so  gladly  put 
away  :  Were  I  stripped  to-morrow  of  all  these  things, 
to  stand  alone  and  helpless,  as  I  see  thousands 
stand,  what  should  I  then  have  left  ?  They  may 
have  been  tempted  to  answer,  with  Medea  in  the 
tragedy : — 

"Che  resta?  .  .  .  lo  ! " 

But  they  have  shrunk  from  that  desperate  self- 
assertion,  as  they  felt  that,  in  the  very  act,  they 
should  become,  not  a  philosopher,  but,  as  Medea  did, 
a  fiend.  Tremblingly  they  have  turned  to  religion 
for  comfort,  under  the  glaring  eye  of  that  dark 
spectre  of  bereavement,  but  have  felt  about  all 
commonplaces,  however  true,  as  Job  felt  of  old  : 
"  Miserable  comforters  are  ye  all !  ...  .  Oh,  that  I 
knew  where  I  might  find  HIM.  I  would  order  my 
cause  before  Him,  and  fill  my  mouth  with  arguments. 
I  should  know  the  words  which  He  would  answer 
me,  and  understand  what  He  would  say  to  me  !  " 


CHARLES   KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE     37 

To  such,  Tauler  can  tell  something,  though  but  a 
little,  of  that  still  waste,  where  a  man,  losing  all 
things  else,  shall  find  himself  face  to  face  with  God, 
and  hear  from  Him  that  which  no  man  can  utter 
again  in  words,  even  to  the  wife  of  his  bosom.  A 
little,  too,  though  but  a  little,  can  Tauler  tell  him 
how  he  may  die  to  those  whom  he  loves  best  on  earth, 
that  he  may  live  to  them,  and  love  them  better 
still,  in  the  ever-present  heavens  ;  of  how  he  may 
lose  his  life,  and  all  persons  and  things  which  make 
his  life  worth  having,  that  he  may  find  again  all  of 
them  which  God  has  indeed  created,  in  that  God  to 
whom  all  live  eternally. 

There  are  those,  too,  who  have  endured  a  struggle 
darker  still ;  more  rare,  perhaps,  but  just  as  real  as 
the  last ;  men  on  whom  the  "  nothingness  "  of  all 
created  things  has  flashed,  not  as  a  mere  sentimental 
and  exaggerative  metaphor,  but  els  a  stern,  inevitable, 
logical  fact ;  who  have  felt,  if  for  a  moment,  that 
perhaps  they  and  all  they  see  and  know, — 

"Are  but  such  stuff 
As  dreams  are  made  of " 


who  have  hung,  if  but  for  one  moment,  self -poised 
over  the  abyss  of  boundless  doubt ;  who  have 
shuddered  as  they  saw,  if  but  for  a  moment,  sun, 
and  hills,  and  trees,  and  the  faces  which  they  loved, 
and  the  seeming-solid  earth  beneath  their  feet, — 
yea,  their  own  body,  flesh  and  blood, — reel,  melt, 
and  vanish,  till  nothing  was  left  of  the  whole  uni- 
verse but  solitary  self  with  its  eternal  malady  of 
thought ;  who  have  cried  out  of  the  lowest  deep  : 
*'  What  is  all  which  I  love — all  which  I  hate  ?  I 
gaze  on  it :  but  I  see  not  it,  but  a  picture  on  my 


38     CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE 

own  eyeball.  I  clutch  it  in  despair :  but  I  feel  not  it, 
but  the  nerves  of  my  own  finger-tip  :  if,  indeed, 
eyeball  and  finger-tip  be  not,  Hke  the  rest,  phantoms 
of  a  homeless  mind,  and  the  only  certain  existence 
in  the  universe  is  I — and  that  I  at  war  with  myself, 
self-discontented,  self-despising,  and  self-damned." 

That  problem  Tauler  will  solve  for  no  man  ;  for 
he  will  say  that  each  man  must  solve  it  for  himself, 
face  to  face  with  God  alone  :  but  he  can  tell  how  he 
solved  it  for  himself ;  how  he  came  to  find  an 
eternal  light  shining  in  for  ever  in  that  utter  darkness, 
which  the  darkness  could  not  comprehend ;  an 
eternal  ground  in  the  midst  of  that  abyss,  which  be- 
longed not  to  the  abyss,  nor  to  the  outward  world 
which  had  vanished  for  the  moment,  nor  to  space,  nor 
time,  nor  any  category  of  human  thought,  or  mortal 
existence  ;  and  that  its  substance  was  the  Ever- 
lasting Personal  Good,  whose  Love  is  Righteousness. 
Tauler  can  point  out  the  path  by  which  he  and 
others  came  to  see  that  Light,  to  find  that  Rock  of 
Ages  ; — the  simple  path  of  honest  self-knowledge, 
self-renunciation,  self-restraint,  in  which  every 
upward  step  towards  right  exposes  some  fresh 
depth  of  inward  sinfulness,  till  the  once  proud  man, 
crushed  down,  like  Job  and  Paul,  by  the  sense  of  his 
own  infinite  meanness,  becomes,  like  them,  a  little 
child  once  more,  and  casts  himself  simply  upon  the 
generosity  of  Him  who  made  him  : — 

"  An  infant  crying  in  the  night ; 
An  infant  crying  for  the  light, 
And  with  no  language  but  a  cry." 

And  then,  so  Tauler  will  tell  him,  there  may  come 
to  him  the  vision,  dim,  perhaps,  and  fitting  ill  into 
clumsy  words,  but  clearer,  surer,  nearer  to  him  than 


CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  PREFACE     39 

the  ground  on  which  he  treads,  or  than  the  foot 
which  treads  it — the  vision  of  an  Everlasting  Spiritual 
Substance,  Most  Human  and  yet  Most  Divine,  who 
can  endure  ;  and  who,  standing  beneath  all  things, 
can  make  their  spiritual  substance  endure  likewise, 
though  all  worlds  and  aeons,  birth,  and  growth,  and 
death,  matter,  and  space,  and  time,  should  melt  in 
very  deed, — 

"  And,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind." 

If  there  be  any  to  whom  these  sentences  shall 
seem  merely  an  enigmatic  verbiage,  darkening 
counsel  by  words  without  knowledge,  I  can  only 
beg  them  not  to  look  at  Tauler's  wisdom  through  my 
folly ;  his  siccum  lumen  through  my  glare  and 
smoke.  As  I  said  at  first,  he  needs  no  Preface. 
There  are  those  who  will  comprehend  him  without 
comment.  There  are  those,  also,  who  will  rise  up 
and  follow  him,  and  his  Master. 


The  History  and  Life 

of  the 

Reverend   Doctor  John  Tauler. 

FIRST  CHAPTER 

IN  the  year  of  Our  Lord  1340,  it  came  to  pass, 
that  a  Master  in  Holy  Scripture  preached  oft- 
times  in  a  certain  city,  and  the  people  loved  to 
hear  him,  and  his  teachings  were  the  talk  of  the 
country  for  many  leagues  round.  Now  this  came 
to  the  ears  of  a  layman  who  was  rich  in  God's  grace, 
and  he  was  warned  three  times  in  his  sleep  that  he 
should  go  to  the  city  where  the  Master  dwelt,  and 
hear  him  preach.  Now  that  city  was  in  another 
country,  more  than  thirty  leagues  distant.  Then 
the  man  thought  within  himself,  "  I  will  go  thither 
and  wait  to  see  what  God  is  purposed  to  do  or 
bring  to  pass  there."  So  he  came  to  that  city  and 
heard  the  Master  preach  five  times.  Then  God  gave 
this  man  to  perceive  that  the  Master  was  a  very 
loving,  gentle,  good-hearted  man  by  nature,  and  had 
a  good  understanding  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  but  was 
dark  as  to  the  hght  of  grace  ;  and  the  man's  heart 
did  yearn  over  him,  and  he  went  to  the  Master  and 
said,  "  Dear  and  honoured  Sir,  I  have  travelled  a 
good  thirty  leagues  on  your  account,  to  hear  your 
teaching.     Now  I  have  heard  you  preach  five  times, 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE        41 

and  I  pray  you  in  God's  name  to  let  me  make  my 
confession  to  you/'  The  Master  answered,  "  With 
all  my  heart."  Then  the  man  confessed  to  the 
Master  in  all  simplicity,  and  when  he  desired  to 
receive  the  Lord's  Body,  the  Master  gave  it  him. 
When  this  had  lasted  twelve  weeks,  the  man  said  to 
the  Master,  "  Dear  Sir,  I  beg  you  for  God's  sake 
to  preach  us  a  sermon,  showing  us  how  a  man  may 
attain  to  the  highest  and  utmost  point  it  is  given 
to  us  to  reach  in  this  present  time."  The  Master 
answered,  "  Ah  !  dear  son,  what  dost  thou  ask  for  ? 
how  shall  I  tell  thee  of  such  high  things  ?  for  I  ween 
thou  wouldst  understand  but  little  thereof."  But 
the  man  said,  "  Ah  !  dear  Master,  even  though  I 
should  understand  httle  or  nothing  thereof,  yet  I 
cannot  but  thirst  after  it.  Multitudes  flock  to  hear 
you  ;  if  there  were  only  one  among  them  all  who 
could  understand  you,  your  labour  were  well  be- 
stowed." Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  if  I  am 
to  do  as  thou  sayest,  I  must  needs  give  some  study 
and  labour  to  the  matter  before  I  can  put  such  a 
sermon  together."  But  the  man  would  not  cease 
from  his  prayers  and  entreaties  till  the  Master 
promised  him  that  he  should  have  his  desire. 

So,  when  the  Master  had  finished  his  sermon, 
he  announced  to  the  people  that  in  three  days  they 
should  come  together  again,  for  he  had  been  re- 
quested to  teach  how  a  man  could  attain  to  the 
Highest  and  Best  and  nearest  to  God  that  might  be 
reached  in  this  present  time.  And  when  the  day 
was  come,  much  people  came  to  the  church,  and  the 
man  sat  down  in  a  place  where  he  could  hear  well ; 
and  the  Master  came,  and  thus  began  his  discourse, 
and  said : 


SECOND  CHAPTER 

In  the  following  gracious  Sermon,  twenty- four  articles 
are  rehearsed  whereby  a  man  may  perceive  who  are 
the  proper,  true,  reasonable,  enlightened,  contem- 
plative men  ;  and  what  sort  of  man  it  is  to  whom 
Christ  may  well  speak  these  words  :  Ecce  vere 
Israelita  in  quo  dolus  non  est — Lo  !  see  a  true 
beholder  of  God  in  whom  is  no  guile  (John  i.  47). 

DEAR  children,  I  have  much  to  say  to  you  in 
this  sermon  concerning  those  things  of  which 
I  have  promised  to  speak  ;  wherefore  I  cannot  for 
this  time  expound  the  gospel  of  the  day  to  you  as 
is  my  wont,  neither  shall  I  speak  much  Latin  in  this 
sermon  ;  for  what  I  have  to  say,  I  will  prove  with 
Holy  Scripture  [and  he  said] :  "  Dear  children,  I 
would  have  you  to  know  that  there  be  many  men, 
who  indeed  attain  to  a  clear  understanding  and 
reasonable  judgment,  but  who  do  this  by  means 
of  images  and  forms  through  the  help  of  other 
men,  and  without  the  Scriptures.  Further,  there  be 
found  many  who,  when  they  mark  that  something  is 
known  to  them  through  the  Scriptures,  are  not  there- 
with content.  Such  a  man  is  still  far  from  his 
highest  and  greatest  good.  Dear  children,  if  a  man 
had  broken  through  these  things,  and  was  become 
dead  to  them,  and  had  got  above  forty  stages  of 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND   LIFE        43 

contemplation,  and  above  the  conceptions  of  our 
reason,  whether  they  come  to  us  through  images 
or  forms  of  speech  —  if  there  were  a  man  who 
had  come  to  this,  he  would  be  dearer  and  more 
precious  in  God's  sight  than  a  hundred  thousand 
men  who  never  get  out  of  their  own  self,  and  live 
after  the  way  of  their  own  choosing  ;  for  to  such 
God  cannot  find  entrance,  nor  work  in  their  souls. 
This  all  comes  of  their  own  will,  and  their  self- 
glorifying  folly,  which  takes  delight  in  the 
dexterity  of  their  own  reason,  in  framing  and 
handling  conceptions.  But  those  men  who  while  on 
earth  have  broken  through  those  things,  and  have 
given  themselves  to  God  in  such  sort  that  they 
have  died  unto  themselves,  and  have  both  made 
themselves  free  from  all  outward  forms,  and  the  use 
of  sensible  images  in  their  exercises  of  contemplation, 
and  humbly  toiled  and  pressed  onwards  above  the 
images  of  mere  reason,  as  Dionysius  says,  "  the  Hght 
of  faith  requires  that  a  man  should  be  raised  above 
the  apprehensions  of  reason  ;  " — know,  dear  children, 
that  in  such  souls  God  doth  find  rest,  and  a  place 
wherein  to  dwell  and  to  work  when  He  chooseth. 
Now  when  God  findeth  thus  no  hindrance  in  such  a 
man.  He  works  His  own  works  in  him,  and  draweth 
him  truly  to  Himself  in  Himself.  Now  know  that 
such  a  man  is  rare,  for  his  life  and  ways  are  hidden 
from  others,  and  unknown  to  them,  except  to  such 
as  have  a  like  life,  of  whom,  alas  !  I  fear  there  be  but 
few.  To  this  state,  and  this  noble  perfectness,  none 
can  come  except  through  boundless  humility,  an 
unclouded  understanding,  and  a  clear  reason  ;'  for  it 
has  happened  ere  now  that  some  great  doctors 
and  priests  have  fallen  ;  and  a  multitude  of  rational 


44       TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE 

spirits  belonging  to  the  angelic  hosts,  who  per- 
ceived nothing  else  in  their  nature  and  essence 
but  mere  reason,  have  erred  hence,  and  fallen  ever- 
lastingly away  from  eternal  truth.  And  this  is 
what  happens  still  to  all  those  who  look  to  their  own 
reason,  and  want  to  be  and  do  as  God  by  the  light  of 
their  self-willed  understanding.  For  which  reason 
it  is  profitable  and  needful  to  know  who  are  the 
proper,  truly  reasonable,  enlightened,  contemplative 
men.  Now  as  far  as  I  can  find  from  Scripture,  there 
are  four  and  twenty  tokens  which  such  a  man  must 
possess. 

The  First  is  given  us  by  the  highest  Master  of  all 
doctors,  arts  and  wisdom,  namely,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  when  he  says :  "  Hereby  shall  ye  know 
whether  ye  be  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another  even  as  I  have  loved  you."  As  much  as  to 
say,  '  Though  ye  should  possess  arts  and  wisdom, 
and  high  understanding,  it  is  all  in  vain  if  ye  have 
not  withal  fidelity  and  love.'  We  believe  that 
Balaam  was  so  replete  with  understanding,  that 
he  perceived  what  things  God  purposed  to  do  or 
reveal  hundreds  of  years  after  his  day  ;  but  it  availed 
him  nothing,  forasmuch  as  he  did  not  cleave  with 
love  and  loyalty  to,  the  things  which  he  under- 
stood. 

The  Second  mark  appertaining  to  a  truly  reason- 
able, enlightened  man  is  that  he  must  become  empty 
of  self  ;  and  this  must  not  make  him  proud,  but  he 
shall  consider  how  he  may  ever  more  attain  to  this 
freedom,  and  sit  loose  by  all  creatures. 

The  Third  Article  :  He  shall  resign  Himself  utterly 
to  God,  that  God  may  work  His  own  works  in  him, 
and  he  shall  not  glory  in  the  works  as  being  his  own, 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE       45 

but  always  think  himself  too  mean  to  have  done 
them. 

The  Fourth  Article  :  He  shall  go  out  from  himself 
in  all  the  things  in  which  he  is  wont  to  seek  and  find 
himself,  whether  belonging  to  time  or  to  eternity, 
and  by  so  doing  he  shall  win  a  true  increase. 

Fifth  Article  :  He  shall  not  seek  his  own  ends  in 
any  creature,  whether  temporal  or  eternal,  and 
hereby  he  shall  attain  to  perfect  satisfaction  and 
content. 

The  Sixth  Article  :  He  shall  always  wait  on  that 
which  God  will  have  him  to  do,  and  shall  try,  with 
the  help  of  God,  to  fulfil  that  to  the  uttermost,  and 
shall  take  no  glory  to  himself  therefor. 

The  Seventh  Article :  He  shall  daily,  without 
ceasing,  give  up  his  will  to  the  will  of  God,  and  en- 
deavour to  will  nothing  but  what  God  willeth. 

The  Eighth  Article  :  He  shall  bend  all  his  powers 
into  submission  to  God,  and  exercise  them  so  con- 
stantly and  so  strenuously  in  God,  and  with  such 
power  and  love,  that  God  may  work  nothing  in  him 
without  his  active  concurrence,  and  he  may  do 
nothing  without  God. 

The  Ninth  Article  :  He  shall  have  the  sense  of  the 
presence  of  God  in  all  His  works,  at  all  times,  and  in 
all  places,  whatever  it  please  God  to  appoint,  whether 
it  be  sweet  or  bitter. 

The  Tenth  Article :  All  his  pleasure  and  pain  he 
shall  receive,  not  as  from  the  creature,  but  from  God  ; 
howbeit  God  ofttimes  works  through  the  creature, 
yet  he  shall  receive  all  things  as  from  God  alone. 

Eleventh  Article  :  He  shall  not  be  led  captive  by 
any  lusting  or  desire  after  the  creatures  without  due 
necessity. 


46      TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

The  Twelfth  Article  :  No  contradiction  or  mishap 
shall  have  power  to  move  or  constrain  him  so  that  it 
separate  him  from  the  truth  ;  therefore  hold  fast 
always  and  entirely  by  the  same. 

Tliirteenth  Article :  He  shall  not  be  deceived  by 
the  glory  of  the  creature,  nor  yet  by  any  false  light, 
but  in  a  spirit  of  kindness  and  love  he  shall  confess 
all  things  to  be  what  they  are,  and  from  all  things 
draw  out  what  is  best,  and  use  it  to  his  own  improve- 
ment, and  in  no  wise  to  his  own  detriment ;  for  such 
a  course  is  a  certain  sign  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Fourteenth  Article :  He  shaU  at  all  times  be 
equipped  and  armed  with  all  virtue,  and  ready  to 
fight  against  all  vice  and  sin,  and  with  his  good 
weapons  he  shall  obtain  the  victory  and  the  prize  in 
all  conflicts. 

Fifteenth  Article :  He  shall  confess  the  truth  in 
simplicity,  and  he  shall  mark  what  it  is  in  itself, 
what  God  requireth  of  us,  and  what  is  possible  to 
man,  and  then  order  his  life  accordingly,  and  act  up 
to  what  he  confesses ! 

The  Sixteenth  Article  :  He  shall  be  a  man  of  few 
words  and  much  inward  life. 

The  Seventeenth  Article  :  He  shall  be  blameless 
and  righteous,  but  in  no  wise  be  puffed  up  by  reason 
of  the  samei 

The  Eighteenth  Article :  His  conversation  shall 
be  in  all  uprightness  and  sincerity  ;  thus  he  shall  let 
his  light  shine  before  men,  and  he  shall  preach  more 
with  his  life  than  with  his  lips. 

The  Nineteenth  Article  :  He  shall  seek  the  glory  of 
God  before  all  things,  and  have  no  other  aim  in 
view. 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       47 

The  Twentieth  Article  :  He  shall  be  wiUing  to 
take  reproof  ;  and  when  he  striveth  with  any  he 
shall  give  way  if  the  matter  concern  himself  alone, 
and  not  God. 

The  Twenty-first  Article  :  He  shall  not  desire  or 
seek  his  own  advantage,  but  think  himself  unworthy 
of  the  least  thing  that  falls  to  his  lot. 

The  Twenty-second  Article  :  He  shall  look  upon 
himself  as  the  least  wise  and  worthy  man  upon  earth, 
yet  find  in  liimself  great  faith  ;  and  above  all  he 
shall  take  no  account  of  his  own  wisdom  and  the 
works  of  his  own  reason,  but  humble  himself  be- 
neath all  men.  For  the  Author  of  all  truth  will  not 
work  a  supernatural  work  in  the  soul,  unless  He  find 
a  thorough  humihty  in  a  man,  and  go  before  his 
doings  with  his  perfect  grace,  as  he  did  with  St. 
Paul.  But  I  fear,  alas  !  that  little  heed  is  taken  to 
this  in  these  our  days. 

The  Twenty-third  Article  :  He  shall  set  the  life 
and  precepts  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  before  him  for 
a  pattern  to  his  life,  words,  and  works,  and  without 
ceasing  look  at  himself  therein  as  in  a  mirror,  that, 
in  so  far  as  he  is  able,  he  may  put  off  everything 
unbecoming  the  honoured  image  of  our  Lord. 

The  Twenty-fourth  and  last  Article  is  :  He  shall 
comport  himself  as  a  man  of  small  account, — as 
nothing  more  than  a  beginner  in  a  good  life  ;  and 
though  he  should  therefore  be  despised  by  many,  it 
shall  be  more  welcome  to  him  than  all  the  favour  of 
the  world. 

Now,  dear  children,  these  are  the  signs  that  the 
ground  of  a  man's  soul  is  truly  reasonable,  so  that 
the  image  of  all  truth  shineth  and  teacheth  therein ; 


48      TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

and  he  who  does  not  bear  in  himself  these  signs, 
may  not  and  must  not  set  any  store  by  his  own 
reason,  either  in  his  own  eyes  or  those  of  others. 
That  we  all  may  become  such  a  true  image,  in 
thorough  sincerity  and  perfect  humility,  may  He 
help  us  who  is  the  Eternal  Truth,  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost.    Amen  ! 


THIRD  CHAPTER 

How  this  pious  man  privately  reveals  to  the  doctor 
in  part  his  own  hidden  holiness,  and  convicts  the 
Master  that  he  is  still  walking  in  the  night  of  ignor- 
ance, and  has  an  unclean  vessel,  and  therefore  is  yet 
a  Pharisee. 

WHEN  this  sermon  was  ended,  the  man  went 
home  to  his  lodging,  and  wrote  it  down 
word  for  word  as  the  Master  had  spoken  it.  And 
when  he  had  finished  he  went  to  the  Master,  and 
said,  "  I  have  written  out  your  sermon,  and  if  it  be 
not  troublesome  I  should  hke  to  read  it  to  you." 
The  Master  repHed,  "  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  it." 
Thereupon  the  man  read  the  sermon  over,  and  then 
said  to  the  Master,  "  Dear  sir,  pray  tell  me  if  there 
be  a  word  wanting,  that  if  so  I  may  set  it  down." 
The  Master  said,  "  Dear  son,  thou  hast  written  every 
word  and  phrase  just  as  it  came  out  of  my  mouth.  I 
tell  thee,  if  any  one  would  give  me  much  money  for 
it,  I  could  not  write  down  every  word  so  exactly  as 
thou  hast  done  it  here,  unless  I  set  to  afresh  to  draw 
it  from  the  Scripture.  I  confess  that  I  am  greatly 
astonished  at  thee  to  think  that  thou  hast  been  con- 
cealed from  me  so  long,  and  I  should  never  have 
perceived  how  full  of  wit  thou  art,  and  so  often  as 
thou  hast  confessed  to  me,  thou  shouldst  so  have 

D 


50        TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

hidden  thy  talent  that  I  have  never  perceived  it  in 
thee."  Then  the  man  made  as  though  he  would 
depart,  and  said,  "  Dear  Master,  if  God  will  I  am 
purposed  to  go  home  again."  But  the  Master  said, 
"  Dear  son,  what  shouldst  thou  do  at  home  ?  Thou 
hast  neither  wife  nor  child  to  provide  for  ;  thou 
must  eat  there  as  well  as  here  :  for  if  God  will,  I  am 
minded  to  preach  again  of  a  perfect  life."  Then 
said  the  man,  "  Dear  Master,  you  must  know  that 
I  have  not  come  hither  for  the  sake  of  your  preach- 
ing, but  because  I  thought,  with  God's  help,  to  give 
you  some  good  counsel."  Quoth  the  Master,  "  How 
shouldst  thou  give  counsel,  who  art  but  a  layman, 
and  understandest  not  the  Scriptures  ;  and  it  is, 
moreover,  not  thy  place  to  preach  if  thou  wouldst. 
Stay  here  a  httle  longer  ;  perchance  God  will  give 
me  to  preach  such  a  sermon  as  thou  wouldst  care 
to  hear."  Then  the  man  said,  "  Dear  Master,  I 
would  fain  say  somewhat  to  you,  but  I  fear  that  you 
would  be  displeased  to  hear  it."  But  the  Master 
answered,  "  Dear  son,  say  what  thou  wilt ;  I  can 
answer  for  it  that  I  shall  take  it  in  good  part." 
Hereupon,  the  man  said,  "  You  are  a  great  clerk, 
and  have  taught  us  a  good  lesson  in  this  sermon,  but 
you  yourself  do  not  live  according  to  it ;  yet  you 
try  to  persuade  me  to  stay  here  that  you  may 
preach  me  yet  another  sermon.  Sir,  I  give  you  to 
know  that  neither  your  sermons,  nor  any  outward 
words  that  man  can  speak,  have  power  to  work 
any  good  in  me,  for  man's  words  have  in  many  ways 
hindered  me  much  more  than  they  have  helped  me. 
And  this  is  the  reason  :  it  often  happened  that  when 
I  came  away  from  the  sermon,  I  brought  certain 
false  notions  away  with  me,  which  I  hardly  got  rid 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE        51 

of  in  a  long  while  with  great  toil ;  but  if  the  highest 
Teacher  of  all  truth  shall  come  to  a  man,  he  must 
be  empty  and  quit  of  all  the  things  of  time. 
Know  ye  that  when  this  same  Master  cometh  to  me, 
He  teaches  me  more  in  an  hour  than  you  or  all 
the  doctors  from  Adam  to  the  Judgment  Day  will 
ever  do."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  stay 
here,  I  pray  thee,  and  celebrate  the  Lord's  Death 
with  me."  Whereon  the  man  answered,  "  Seeing 
that  you  adjure  me  so  solemnly,  it  may  be  that,  in 
obedience  to  God,  I  ought  to  stay  with  you  ;  but 
I  will  not  do  it  unless  you  promise  to  receive  all  that 
I  have  said  to  you,  and  all  I  may  yet  say  to  you,  as 
under  the  seal  of  confession,  so  that  none  may  know 
of  it."  Quoth  the  Master :  "  Dear  son,  that  I 
willingly  promise,  if  only  that  thou  wilt  stay  here." 
Then  said  the  man,  "  Sir,  ye  must  know,  that  though 
you  have  taught  us  many  good  things  in  this  sermon, 
the  image  came  into  my  mind  while  you  were 
preaching,  that  it  was  as  if  one  should  take  good 
wine  and  mix  it  with  lees,  so  that  it  grew  muddy." 
Quoth  the  Master  :  "  Dear  son,  what  dost  thou 
mean  by  this  ? "  The  man  said,  "  I  mean  that 
your  vessel  is  unclean,  and  much  lees  are  cleaving 
to  it,  and  the  cause  is,  that  you  have  suffered 
yourself  to  be  killed  by  the  letter,  and  are  killing 
yourself  still  every  day  and  hour,  albeit  you  your- 
self know  full  well  that  the  Scripture  saith,  '  The 
letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life.'  Know, 
that  same  letter  which  now  killeth  you  will  make 
you  alive  again,  if  so  be  you  are  willing  ;  but  in  the 
life  you  are  now  living,  know  that  you  have  no 
light,  but  you  are  in  the  night,  in  which  you  are 
indeed  able  to  understand  the  letter,  but  have  not 


52      TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

yet  tasted  the  sweetness  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and, 
withal,  you  are  yet  a  Pharisee."  Then  said  the 
Master,  "  Dear  son,  I  would  have  thee  to  know  that, 
old  as  I  am,  I  have  never  been  spoken  to  in  such 
fashion  all  my  life."  The  man  said,  "  Where  is 
your  preaching  now  ?  Do  you  see  now  what  you 
are  when  you  are  brought  to  the  proof  ?  And 
although  you  think  that  I  have  spoken  too  hardly 
to  you,  you  are  in  truth  guilty  of  all  I  have  said,  and 
I  will  prove  to  you  from  your  own  self  that  it  is  true." 
Then  said  the  Master,  "  I  ask  for  no  more,  for  I  have 
ever  been  an  enemy  to  all  Pharisees."  Quoth  the 
man,  "  I  will  first  tell  you  how  it  is  that  the  letter  is 
killing  you.  Dear  sir,  as  you  know  yourself,  when 
you  were  arrived  at  the  age  to  understand  good  and 
evil,  you  began  to  learn  the  letter,  and  in  so  doing 
you  sought  your  own  welfare,  and  to  this  day  you 
are  in  the  same  mind  ;  that  is  to  say,  you  are  trusting 
to  your  learning  and  parts,  and  you  do  not  love  and 
intend  God  alone,  but  you  are  in  the  letter,  and 
intend  and  seek  yourself,  and  not  the  glory  of  God, 
as  the  Scripture  teacheth  us  to  do.  You  have  a 
leaning  towards  the  creatures,  and  specially  towards 
one  creature,  and  love  that  creature  with  your  whole 
heart  above  measure,  and  that  is,  moreover,  the 
cause  why  the  letter  killeth  you.  And  whereas  I 
said  that  your  vessel  is  unclean  ;  that  is  also  true, 
inasmuch  as  you  have  not  in  all  things  a  single  eye 
to  God.  If  you  look  into  yourself,  you  will,  for  one 
thing,  find  it  out  by  the  vanity  and  love  of  carnal 
ease  whereby  your  vessel  is  spoiled  and  filled  with 
lees  ;  wherefore,  when  the  pure  unmixed  wine  of 
godly  doctrine  has  gone  through  this  unclean  vessel, 
it   comes  to  pass   that  your  teaching  is  without 


'      TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND  LIFE      53 

favour,  and  brings  no  grace  to  pure,  loving  hearts. 
And  whereas  I  further  said  that  you  were  still  in 
darkness,  and  had  not  the  true  light ;  this  is  also 
true,  and  it  may  be  seen  hereby  that  so  few  receive 
the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  your  teaching. 
And  whereas  I  said  that  you  were  a  Pharisee, 
that  is  also  true  ;  but  you  are  not  one  of  the 
hypocritical  Pharisees.  Was  it  not  a  mark  of  the 
Pharisees  that  they  loved  and  sought  themselves  in 
all  things,  and  not  the  glory  of  God  ?  Now  examine 
yourself,  dear  sir,  and  see  if  you  are  not  a  proper 
Pharisee  in  the  eyes  of  God.  Know,  dear  Master, 
that  there  are  many  people  in  the  world  who  are 
all  called  Pharisees  in  God's  sight,  be  they  great  or 
small,  according  to  what  their  hearts  or  lives  are 
bent  upon." 

As  the  man  spoke  these  words  the  Master  fell  on 
his  neck  and  kissed  him,  and  said  :  "  A  hkewise 
has  come  into  my  mind.  It  has  happened  to  me  as  it 
did  to  the  heathen  woman  at  the  well.  For  know, 
dear  son,  that  thou  hast  laid  bare  all  my  faults  before 
my  eyes  ;  thou  hast  told  me  what  I  had  hidden  up 
within  me,  and  specially  that  I  have  an  affection  for 
one  creature  ;  but  I  tell  thee  of  a  truth  that  I  know 
it  not  myself,  nor  do  I  believe  that  any  human  being 
in  the  world  can  know  of  it.  I  wonder  greatly  who 
can  have  told  thee  this  of  me  ?  But  doubt  not  that 
thou  hast  it  from  God.  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
dear  son,  that  thou  celebrate  our  Lord's  Death,  and 
be  thou  my  ghostly  father,  and  let  me  be  thy  poor 
sinful  son."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  sir,  if  you 
speak  so  contrary  to  ordinances,  I  will  not  stay  with 
you,  but  ride  home  again  ;  that  I  assure  you."  Here- 
upon said  the  Master,  "  Ah,  no  !  I  pray  thee,  for  God's 


54      TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

sake,  do  not  so  ;  stay  awhile  with  me  ;  I  promise 
thee  readily  not  to  speak  thus  any  more.  I  am 
minded,  with  God's  help,  to  begin  a  better  course, 
and  I  will  gladly  follow  thy  counsel,  whatsoever 
thou  deemest  best,  if  I  may  but  amend  my 
life."  Then  said  the  man,  "  I  tell  you  of  a  truth, 
that  the  letter  and  learning  lead  many  great  doctors 
astray,  and  bring  some  into  purgatory  and  some 
into  hell,  according  as  their  hfe  here  hath  been, — I 
tell  you  of  a  truth,  it  is  no  light  matter  that  God 
should  give  a  man  such  great  understanding  and 
skill,  and  mastery  in  the  Scripture,  and  he  should 
not  put  it  in  practice  in  his  hfe." 


FOURTH  CHAPTER 

How  God  had  wrought  a  great  miracle  through  this 
pious  man,  and  how  this  had  come  to  pass  because 
God  found  in  him  a  good  and  thorough  humility. 

THEN  said  the  Master,  "  I  pray  thee,  for  God's 
sake  to  tell  me  how  it  is  that  thou  hast 
attained  to  such  a  life,  and  how  thou  didst  begin 
thy  spiritual  Hfe,  and  what  have  been  thy  exercises 
and  thy  history."  The  man  said,  "  That  is,  indeed, 
a  simple  request :  for  I  tell  you  truly,  if  I  should 
recount,  or  write,  all  the  wondrous  deahngs  of  God 
with  me,  a  poor  sinner,  for  the  last  twelve  years,  I 
verily  beheve  that  you  have  not  a  book  large  enough 
to  contain  it  if  it  were  all  written  ;  however,  I  will 
tell  you  somewhat  thereof  for  this  time. 

"The  first  thing  that  helped  me  was,  that  God 
found  in  me  a  sincere  and  utterly  self-surrendering 
humility.  Now  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  need  to 
tell  you  the  bodily  exercises  by  which  I  brought  my 
flesh  into  subjection  :  for  men's  natures  and  dis- 
positions are  very  unlike  ;  but  whenever  a  man  has 
given  himself  up  to  God  with  utter  humiUty,  God 
will  not  fail  to  give  him  such  exercises,  by  tempta- 
tions and  other  trials,  as  He  perceives  to  be  profitable 
to  the  man,  and  such  as  he  is  well  able  to  bear  and 
endure  if  he  be  only  willing.     But  this  you  ought  to 


56       TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE 

know  :  he  who  asks  counsel  of  many  people  will  be  apt 
to  go  often  astray  ;  for  each  one  will  point  him  to  his 
own  experience.  But  ofttimes  a  man  may  exercise 
himself  in  a  certain  practice  which  is  good  and 
profitable  to  himself  ;  while,  if  another  did  the  same, 
it  might  very  likely  be  useless,  or  even  hurtful  to 
him.  The  Devil  often  stirs  up  a  man  to  practise 
great  austerities,  with  the  intent  that  the  man  may 
grow  sick  and  infirm  thereby,  or  weak  in  his  brain,  or 
do  himself  some  other  injury. 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  it  befell  me  in  the  beginning. 
I  was  reading  the  German  books  about  the  hves  of 
the  Saints,  when  I  thought  to  myself,  '  These  were 
men  who  lived  on  this  earth  as  well  as  I,  and  perhaps, 
too,  had  not  sinned  as  I  have.'  And  when  these 
thoughts  came  into  my  head,  I  began  to  exercise 
myself  in  the  hfe  of  the  Saints  with  some  severities, 
but  grew  so  sick  thereby  that  I  was  brought  to 
death's  door.  And  it  came  to  pass  one  morning  at 
break  of  day,  that  I  had  exercised  myself  so  that 
my  eyelids  closed  from  very  weakness,  and  I  fell 
asleep.  And  in  my  sleep  it  was  as  though  a  voice 
spoke  to  me  and  said,  '  Thou  fooHsh  man,  if  thou  art 
bent  upon  kiUing  thyself  before  thy  time,  thou 
wilt  have  to  bear  a  heavy  punishment ;  but  if  thou 
didst  suffer  God  to  exercise  thee,  He  could  exercise 
thee  better  than  thou  by  thyself,  or  with  the  Devil's 
counsel.'  When  I  heard  speak  of  the  Devil  I  awoke 
in  a  great  fright,  rose  up,  and  walked  out  into  a  wood 
nigh  to  the  town.  Then  I  thought  within  myself, 
I  had  begun  these  exercises  without  counsel :  I  will 
go  and  tell  the  old  hermit  all  that  has  happened  to 
me.  And  I  did  so,  and  told  him  the  words  that  I 
had  heard  in  my  sleep,  and  besought  him  in  God's 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE  57 

name  to  give  me  the  best  counsel  he  could.  So  the 
hermit  said, '  Thou  must  know  that  if  I  am  to  advise, 
thou  must  first  tell  me  all  about  thy  exercises.'  So  I 
did,  and  he  said,  '  By  whose  counsel  hast  thou  done 
these  things  ?  '  and  I  answered,  '  Of  my  own  will.' 
Then  the  hermit  said,  '  Then  know  that  it  has  been 
the  Devil's  counsel,  and  thou  must  not  obey  him  any 
more  as  long  as  thou  livest,  but  thou  must  utterly 
give  thyself  up  to  God  ;  He  can  exercise  thee  much 
better  than  thou  thyself,  or  the  Devil.'  Behold, 
dear  Master,  thereupon  I  ceased  from  these  exercises, 
and  yielded  myself  and  my  doings  altogether  up  to 
God.  For  the  rest,  dear  sir,  you  must  know  that 
by  nature  I  was  a  very  ingenious,  clever,  good- 
hearted  man  ;  but  I  had  not  the  Scriptures  in  my 
hand,  like  you,  but  could  only  learn  to  know  myself 
by  my  natural  intelligence  ;  and  with  this  sometimes 
I  got  so  far  that  I  was  surprised  at  myself.  And 
once  upon  a  time,  I  thought  in  my  reason,  '  Thou 
hast  such  good  parts,  may  be,  if  thou  shouldst 
give  thy  mind  to  it  with  all  earnestness,  thou  couldst 
attain  to  comprehend  somewhat  of  divine  things.' 
But  as  this  thought  came  into  my  head  I  marked 
straightway  that  it  was  the  Devil's  counsel,  and 
saw  that  it  was  all  false.  So  I  said,  '  O  thou  Evil 
Spirit,  what  an  impure  false  counsel  hast  thou  put 
in  my  heart,  thou  bad,  false  counsellor  !  If  we  had 
such  a  God  I  would  not  give  a  berry  for  him.'  After 
that,  another  night,  when  I  was  saying  my  matins,* 
an  ardent  longing  came  over  me,  so  that  I  said,  '  O 
eternal  and  merciful  God,  that  it  were  thy  will  to 
give  me  to  discover  something  that  should  be  above 
all  our  sensual  reason  ! '     As  soon  as  I  had  said  it 

*  Three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


58         TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

I  was  sorely  affrighted  at  this  great  longing,  and 
said  with  great  fervour,  '  Ah,  my  God  and  my  Lord, 
forgive  me  of  Thy  boundless  mercy  for  having  done 
this,  and  that  it  should  have  entered  into  the  heart 
of  a  poor  worm  hke  me  to  desire  such  a  great  gift 
of  such  rich  grace,  and  I  confess  indeed  that  I  have 
not  always  lived  as  I  ought  of  right  to  do.  I  confess, 
moreover,  dear  Lord,  that  I  have  been  unthankful 
to  Thee  in  all  things,  so  that  methinks  I  am  not 
worthy  that  the  earth  should  bear  me,  still  less  that 
such  an  ardent,  gracious  desire  should  spring  up  in 
me ;  wherefore  my  body  must  be  punished  for  my 
sin.'  With  that  I  threw  off  my  garments  and 
scourged  myself  till  the  blood  ran  down  my  shoulders. 
And  as  these  words  remained  in  my  heart  and  on 
my  lips  till  the  day  broke,  and  the  blood  was  flowing 
down,  in  that  same  hour  God  showed  His  mercy  on 
me,  so  that  my  mind  was  filled  with  a  clear  under- 
standing. And  in  that  same  hour  I  was  deprived 
of  all  my  natural  reason ;  but  the  time  seemed  all 
too  short  to  me.  And  when  I  was  left  to  mysdf 
again  I  saw  a  supernatural  mighty  wonder  and 
sign,  insomuch  that  I  could  have  cried  with  St. 
Peter,  '  Lord,  it  is  good  for  me  to  be  here  ! '  Now 
know,  dear  sir,  that  in  that  self-same  short  hour 
I  received  more  truth  and  more  illumination  in 
my  understanding  than  all  the  teachers  could  ever 
teach  me  from  now  till  the  Judgment  Day  by  word 
of  mouth,  and  with  all  their  natural  learning  and 
science.  Now,  dear  Master,  I  have  said  enough  for 
this  time,  as  to  how  it  stands  with  you." 


FIFTH  CHAPTER 

How  God  converted  a  heathen  in  a  foreign  land  through 
this  pious  layman,  and  how  that  the  Holy  Ghost  still 
to  this  day  displays  His  grace  with  the  same  power 
that  He  showed  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  He  finds 
fitting  hearts  to  receive  Him.  Further,  how  this 
pious  man  gives  still  better  instruction  to  the  Doctor 
in  these  matters,  and  shows  him  that  he  is  a  true 
Pharisee,  and  brings  him  to  submit  to  be  converted 
and  amend  his  ways. 

THEN  said  the  Master,  "If  God  give  thee 
grace  to  say  still  more,  I  should  heartily 
rejoice  in  it,  for  I  teU  thee  in  all  sincerity  that  I  have 
listened  to  thee  gladly,  dear  son  :  now  I  beg  thee 
for  God's  sake  do  not  leave  me,  but  stay  here,  and 
if  thou  lack  money  I  will  not  let  thee  want  for  any- 
thing, if  I  have  to  pledge  a  book  for  it."  Then  said 
the  man,  "  God  reward  you,  dear  sir :  know  that  I 
need  not  your  kindness,  for  God  hath  made  me  a 
steward  of  His  goods,  so  that  I  have  of  earthly  wealth 
five  thousand  florins,  which  are  God's,  and  if  I  knew 
where  there  was  need  of  them,  or  where  God  would 
have  them  bestowed,  I  would  give  them  away." 
Then  said  the  Master,  "  Then,  dear  son,  thou  art 
indeed  the  steward  of  a  rich  man  and  a  great  Lord  ! 
I  am  in  great  wonderment  about  that  thou  saidst, 


6o      TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

that  I  and  all  teachers  could  not  teach  thee  as 
much  by  the  Day  of  Judgment  as  thou  hast  been 
taught  in  an  hour.  Now  tell  me,  for  I  wish  to 
hear,  has  the  Scripture  proceeded  from  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?  "  Then  said  the  man,  "  Sir,  methinks  it 
seems  impossible  that  after  I  have  said  so  much  to 
you,  you  should  talk  in  such  a  childish  fashion ! 
Look  here,  dear  Master  !  I  will  ask  you  a  question, 
and  if  with  all  your  reason  you  can  explain  it  to  me, 
either  by  the  Scriptures,  or  without  the  Scriptures,  I 
will  give  you  ten  thousand  florins."  Then  said  the 
Master,  "  What  is  that  ?  "  The  man  said,  "  Can 
you  instruct  me  how  I  should  write  a  letter  to  a 
heathen  far  away  in  a  heathen  land,  in  such  fashion 
and  language  that  the  heathen  should  be  able  to 
read  and  understand  it ;  and  make  the  letter  such 
that  the  heathen  should  come  to  the  Christian  faith  ? " 
Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  these  are  the 
works  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  tell  me  where  has  this 
happened  ?  If  thou  know  an5^hing  of  the  matter, 
tell  me  in  what  way  this  came  to  pass,  and  whether 
it  happened  to  thyself  ?  "  Then  said  the  man, 
"  Albeit  I  am  unworthy  of  it,  yet  did  the  Holy 
Spirit  work  through  me,  a  poor  sinner;  and  how 
it  came  to  pass  would  take  long  to  tell,  and  make 
such  a  long  story  that  one  might  write  a  large  book 
about  it :  The  heathen  was  a  very  good-hearted 
man,  and  often  cried  to  Heaven,  and  called  upon 
Him  who  had  made  him  and  all  the  world,  and  said  : 
'  O  Creator  of  all  creatures,  I  have  been  born  in  this 
land :  now  the  Jews  have  another  faith,  the  Chris- 
tians another.  O  Lord,  who  art  over  all,  and  hast 
made  all  creatures,  if  there  be  now  any  faith  better 
than  that  in  which  I  have  been  born,  or  if  there  be 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE      6i 

any  other  better  still,  show  it  to  me  in  what  wise 
Thou  wilt,  so  that  I  may  believe  it,  and  I  will  gladly 
obey  Thee  and  believe  :  but  if  it  should  be  that  Thou 
dost  not  show  it  me,  and  I  should  die  in  my  faith, 
since  I  knew  no  better,  if  there  were  a  better  faith, 
but  Thou  hadst  not  shown  it  nor  revealed  it  to  me. 
Thou  would st  have  done  me  a  grievous  injustice.' 
Now,  behold,  dear  sir,  a  letter  was  sent  to  that 
heathen,  written  by  me,  a  poor  sinner,  in  such  sort 
that  he  came  to  the  Christian  faith  ;  and  he  wrote  me  a 
letter  back  again,  telling  what  had  befallen  him,  the 
which  stood  written  in  a  good  German  tongue,  that 
I  could  read  it  quite  well.  Dear  sir,  there  were 
much  to  be  said  on  this  matter,  but  for  this  time  it 
is  enough  ;  you  are  well  able  to  mark  the  meaning 
thereof."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  God  is  wonderful 
in  all  His  works  and  gifts  !  Dear  son,  thou  hast 
told  me  very  strange  things." 

The  man  said,  "  Dear  sir,  I  fear  that  I  have  said 
some  things  to  you  which  have  vexed  you  greatly  in 
your  mind ;  it  is  because  I  am  a  layman,  and  you 
are  a  great  doctor  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  yet  I  have 
said  so  much  to  you  after  the  manner  of  a  teacher. 
But  that  I  have  meant  it  well  and  kindly,  and 
sought  your  soul's  salvation  in  it,  and  simply  the 
glory  of  God,  and  nothing  else,  of  that  God  is  my 
witness."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  if 
it  will  not  make  thee  angry,  I  will  tell  thee  what 
vexes  me."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Yea,  dear  sir, 
speak  without  fear  ;  I  promise  not  to  take  it  amiss." 
The  Master  said,  "  It  amazes  me  greatly,  and  is 
very  hard  to  receive,  that  thou  being  a  lajonan,  and 
I  a  priest,  I  am  to  take  instruction  from  thee ;  and 
it  also  troubles  me  much  that  thou  calledst  me  a 


62       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

Pharisee."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Is  there  nothing 
else  that  you  cannot  take  in  ? "  The  Master 
answered,  "  No,  I  know  of  nothing  else."  Then 
said  the  man,  "  Shall  I  also  explain  to  you  these  two 
things  ?  "  He  answered,  "  Yes,  dear  son,  I  pray  thee 
in  aU  kindness  to  do  so,  for  God's  sake."  Then  said 
the  man,  "  Now  tell  me,  dear  Master,  how  it  was,  or 
whose  work  it  was,  that  the  blessed  Saint  Katharine, 
who  was  but  a  young  virgin  barely  fourteen  years  old, 
overcame  some  fifty  of  the  great  masters,  and  more- 
over so  prevailed  over  them  that  they  willingly  went 
to  mart5n:dom  ?  Who  wrought  this  ?  "  Then  said 
the  Master,  "The  Holy  Ghost  did  this."  Quoth 
the  man,  "  Do  you  not  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  still  the  same  power  ?  "  The  Master,  "  Yes,  I 
believe  it  fully."  The  man,  "  Wherefore  then  do  you 
not  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  speaking  to  you 
at  this  moment  through  me,  a  poor  sinner  and  un- 
worthy man,  and  is  minded  to  speak  to  you  ?  He 
spoke  the  truth  through  Caiaphas,  who  was  also  a 
sinner ;  and  know,  that  since  you  take  what  I 
have  said  to  you  so  much  amiss,  I  will  refrain 
from  saying  anything  to  you  for  the  future."  Then 
said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  do  not  do  that :  I 
hope,  if  God  will,  to  be  the  better  for  thy  words." 
The  man  said,  "  Ah,  dear  sir,  it  vexes  you  also  that  I 
should  have  called  you  a  Pharisee,  and  yet  I  gave  you 
such  full  proof  of  it  that  you  could  not  deny  it.  This 
should  have  been  enough  to  content  you,  but  since  it 
is  not,  I  must  say  still  more,  and  prove  to  you  once 
again,  that  I  am  right,  and  that  you  are  what  I 
said.  Dear  Master,  you  know  very  well  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  said  himself,  '  Beware  of  the 
Pharisees,  for  they  bind  heavy  burdens,  and  griev- 


TAULER'S   HISTORY    AND   LIFE      63 

ous  to  be  borne,  and  lay  them  on  men's  shoulders ; 
but  they  themselves  will  not  move  them  with 
one  of  their  fingers.'  Now,  dear  sir,  look  at 
yourself  ;  in  this  sermon  of  yours  you  have  bound 
and  laid  upon  us  twenty-four  articles,  and  you  keep 
few  enough  of  them  yourself.  Again  :  Our  Lord 
said,  '  Beware  of  the  Pharisees  :  whatsoever  they 
bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do,  but  do  not  ye 
after  their  works,  for  they  say  and  do  not.'  "  Quoth 
the  Master,  "  Our  Blessed  Lord  spoke  these  words 
to  the  men  of  his  own  day."  The  man  said,  "  He 
speaks  them  still,  now  and  evermore,  to  all  men. 
Dear  Master,  look  at  yourself  ;  whether  you  touch 
these  burdens  and  bear  them  in  your  life  is  known  to 
God  and  also  to  yourself  ;  but  I  confess  that  as  far  as 
I  can  judge  of  your  present  condition,  I  would  rather 
follow  your  words  than  your  life.  Only  look  at 
yourself,  and  see  if  you  are  not  a  Pharisee  in  the 
eyes  of  God  ;  though  not  one  of  those  false  hypo- 
critical Pharisees  whose  portion  is  in  hell-fire."  The 
Master  said,  "  I  know  not  what  I  shall  say ;  this  I 
see  plainly,  that  I  am  a  sinner,  and  am  resolved  to 
better  my  life,  if  I  die  for  it.  Dear  son,  I  cannot 
wait  longer  ;  I  pray  thee,  simply  for  God's  sake,  to 
counsel  me  how  I  shall  set  about  this  work,  and 
show  me  and  teach  me  how  I  may  attain  to  the 
highest  perfection  that  a  man  may  reach  on  earth." 
Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  sir,  do  not  be  wroth  with 
me ;  but  I  tell  you  of  a  truth  that  such  counsel  is 
scarcely  to  be  given  you  ;  for  if  you  are  to  be  con- 
verted, all  your  wonted  habits  must  be  broken 
through  with  great  pain ;  because  you  must  altogether 
change  your  old  way  of  life  :  and  besides  I  take  you 
to  be  near  fifty  years  old."    Then  said  the  Master, 


64       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

"  It  may  be  so ;  but  O  dear  son,  to  him  who  came 
into  the  vineyard  at  the  eleventh  hour  was  given 
his  penny  the  same  as  to  him  who  came  in  at  the 
first.  I  tell  thee,  dear  son,  I  have  well  considered 
the  matter,  and  my  heart  is  so  firmly  set  that  if  I 
knew  this  moment  that  I  must  die  for  it,  I  would 
yet,  with  the  help  of  God,  cease  from  my  carnal  life, 
and  my  earthly  reasonings,  and  live  according  to 
thy  counsel.  I  beseech  thee  for  God's  sake  not  to 
keep  me  longer  waiting,  but  to  tell  me  this  moment 
how  I  must  begin."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear 
sir,  because  you  have  received  grace  from  God,  and 
are  willing  to  humble  yourself  and  submit,  and  to 
bow  down  before  a  poor,  mean,  unworthy  creature  ; 
for  all  this  let  us  give  the  glory  to  God,  to  whom  it 
is  due,  for  this  grace  proceeds  from  him,  and  flows 
back  to  Him.  Since  then,  dear  sir,  I  am  to  instruct 
you,  and  counsel  you  in  God's  name,  I  will  look  to 
Him  for  help,  and  do  so  in  love  to  Him,  and  set 
you  a  task  such  as  they  give  children  to  begin 
with  at  school, — namely,  the  four-and-twenty  letters 
of  the  alphabet,  beginning  with  A  : 


SIXTH  CHAPTER 

This  is  the  golden  ABC  which  this  pious  man  sä  the 
Doctor  to  learn,  for  the  amending  of  his  life,  and 
which,  doubtless,  it  were  very  profitable  and  needful 
for  us  all  to  repeat  many  times  and  oft,  and  amend 
our  lives  thereafter. 

AFTER   a  manly   and  not  a  childish  sort,  ye 
shall,  with   thorough  earnestness,  begin   a 
good  life. 

"Dad  ways  ye  shall  eschew,  and  practice  all  good- 
ness  with  diligence  and  full  purpose  of  mind. 

(^AREFULLY  endeavour  to  keep  the  middle  path  in 
all  things,  with  seemHness  and  moderation. 

■pjEMEAN  yourself  humbly  in  word  and  work,  from 
the  inward  holiness  of  your  heart. 

"P  NTIRELY  give  up  your  own  will ;  evermore  cleave 
earnestly  to  God,  and  forsake  Him  not. 

"C*ORWARD  and  ready  shall  ye  be  to  aU  good  works, 
without  murmuring,  whatever   be  commanded 
you. 

£ 


66       TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

r~^  IVE  heed  to  exercise  yourself  in  all  godly  works  of 
mercy  toward  the  body  or  the  spirit. 

TLJ  AVE  no  backward  glances  after  the  world,  or  the 
creatures,  or  their  doings. 

Inwardly  in  your  heart  ponder  over   your  past 
life    with    honesty,    sincere    repentance   in  the 
bitterness  of  your  heart,  and  tears  in  your  eyes. 

T>^  NIGHTLY  and  resolutely  withstand  the  assaults 
-"^  of  the  Devil,  the  Flesh,  and  the  World. 

T    EARN  to  conquer  long-cherished  sloth  with  vigour, 
together  with  all  effeminacy  of  the  body,  and 
subservience  to  the  Devil. 

IV/Take  your  abode  in  God,  with  fervent  love,  in 
certain  hope,  with  strong  faith,  and  be  towards 
your  neighbour  as  towards  yourself. 

"Mo  other  man's  good  things  shall  ye  desire,  be 
they  what  they  may,  corporeal  or  spiritual. 

/^rder  all  things  so  that  you  make  the  best  and 
not  the  worst  of  them. 

Oenance,  that  is,  suffering  for  your  sin,  you  shall 
take  willingly,  whether  it  come  from  God  or  the 
creatures. 

Quittance,  remission,  and  absolution,  you  shall 
give  to  all  who  have  ever  done  you  wrong  in 
thought,  word,  or  deed. 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       67 

"D  ECEIVE  all  things  that  befall  you  with  meekness, 
and  draw  improvement  from  them. 

CouL  and  body,  estate  and  reputation,  keep  un- 
defiled  with  all  care  and  diligence.* 

'T'ruthful   and  upright  shall  ye  be  towards  all, 
without  guile  or  cunning. 

'\1/' ANTON  NESS  and  excess,  of  whatsoever  kind  it 
may  be,  ye  shall  learn  to  lay  aside,  and  turn 
from  it  with  aU  your  heart. 

Vt.,  our  Blessed  Lord's  life  and  death,  shall  ye 
follow,  and  wholly  conform  yourself  thereunto 
with  all  your  might. 

"We  shall  evermore,  without  ceasing,  beseech  our 
blessed  Lady  that  she  help  you  to  learn  this  our 
lesson  well. 

Vealously  keep  a  rein  over  your  will  and  your 
senses,  that  they  may  be  at  peace  with  all  that 
God  doth,  and  also  with  all  His  creatures. 


All  this  lesson  must  be  learnt  of  a  free  heart  and 
will,  without  cavilling. 


*  The  letters  R  and  S  have  been  transposed  ;  the  rest  follow  the 
order  of  the  original,  in  which,  as  in  the  translation,  the  important  word 
of  the  sentence  is  by  no  means  always  the  one  with  which  it  commeoces. 
The  letter»  V  and  W  are  wanting  in  the  original. — Tr. 


SEVENTH  CHAPTER 

How  the  Doctor  learns  this  task  very  quickly  {though 
with  trouble),  and  how  this  layman  further  in- 
structeth  him  in  the  shortest  way  to  the  highest 
contemplation ;  also  how  he  was  obliged  to  begin  a 
dying  life,  and  exercise  himself  therein  till  at  last 
he  prevailed  over  himself.  And  in  this  following 
lesson  lies  the  true  ground  of  almost  all  the  sermons 
that  stand  in  this  book,  from  which  lesson  also  this 
Doctor  obtained  his  understanding  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, and  the  perfecting  of  his  life,  as  shall  be  here- 
after set  forth. 

NOW,  dear  sir,  take  kindly  as  from  God, 
without  cavilling,  this  child's  task,  which 
He  sets  you  by  the  mouth  of  me,  a  poor  and 
unworthy  human  being." 

Then  said  the  Master,  "  However  thou  mayst  call 
this  a  child's  task,  methinks  it  needs  a  man's  strength 
to  attack  it.  Now  tell  me,  dear  son,  how  long  a 
time  wilt  thou  give  me  to  learn  this  lesson  ?  "  The 
man  answered,  "  We  will  take  five  weeks,  in  honour 
of  the  five  wounds  of  Christ,  that  you  may  learn  it 
well.  You  shall  be  your  own  schoolmaster  ;  and  when 
you  are  not  perfect  in  any  one  of  these  letters, 
and  think  yourself  hardly  able  to  learn  it,  then  cast 
aside  your  garment  and  chastise  your  body,  that  it 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       69 

may  be  brought  into  subjection  to  your  soul  and 
reason."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  I  will  gladly  be 
obedient." 

Now  when  this  discipline  had  lasted  three  weeks, 
the  man  said  to  the  Master,  "  Dear  sir,  how  goes  it 
with  you  ?  "  The  Master  said,  "  Dear  son,  thou 
must  know  that  I  ha.ve  received  more  stripes  in  these 
three  weeks  about  your  lesson  than  I  ever  did  in  all 
my  days  before."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Sir,  you 
well  know  that  no  man  giveth  his  pupil  a  new  task 
before  he  have  learnt  the  first  lines."  Then  said  the 
Master,  "  If  I  said  that  I  knew  them,  I  should  say 
what  is  not  true."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  sir, 
go  on  as  you  are  doing  till  you  know  your  lesson 
right  well." 

But  at  the  end  of  another  three  weeks  the  Master 
sent  for  the  man,  and  said  to  him,  "  Dear  son,  rejoice 
with  me,  for  I  think,  with  God's  help,  I  could  say  the 
first  line ;  and  if  thou  art  wilHng,  I  will  repeat  over 
the  whole  lesson  to  thee."  "  No,  dear  sir,"  said  the 
man,  "  I  will  gladly  rejoice  with  you,  and  take  your 
word  for  it  that  you  know  it."  Then  said  the 
Master,  "  I  tell  thee  of  a  truth  it  has  gone  hard  with 
me.  And  now,  dear  son,  I  pray  thee  give  me 
further  instruction."  Then  said  the  man,  "  I  can 
for  myself  teach  you  nothing  further ;  but  if  so  be 
that  God  willeth  to  teach  you  through  me,  I  will 
gladly  do  my  part,  and  be  an  instrument  in  the 
Lord's  hand  by  which  He  may  work  out  His 
purposes, 

"  Hearken,  dear  Master :  I  wiU  counsel  you  in 
godly  love  and  brotherly  faithfulness.  If  it  should 
happen  to  you  as  to  the  young  man  in  the  Gospel,  to 
whom'our  Lord  said,  '  Go  and  sell  all  that  thou  hast 


70       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

and  give  to  the  poor,  and  come  and  follow  me,'  I 
will  not  be  answerable."  Then  said  the  Master, 
*'  Dear  son,  have  no  fears  on  that  score,  for  I  have 
already  left  all  that  I  have,  and,  with  God's  help,  am 
resolved  to  go  forward,  and  be  obedient  unto  God 
and  to  thee."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Since  your 
heart  is  steadfastly  fixed  to  commit  yourself  wholly 
unto  God,  I  counsel  you  in  all  faithfulness  that  ye 
be  obedient  to  your  order  and  your  superiors ;  as  it 
may  be  that  you  may  be  brought  into  great  per- 
plexity if  you  be  minded  to  go  the  straight  and 
narrow  way,  and  that  you  will  be  hard  pressed  and 
assailed,  and  most  of  adl  by  your  brethren.  And  if 
this  should  come  to  pass,  your  earthly  feelings  will 
seek  everjrwhere  for  help,  and  make  you  call  to  mind 
the  words  in  which  you  pledged  yourself  to  God,  and 
also  other  things,  with  the  intent  that,  if  possible, 
they  might  break  away  from  the  cross;  and  that 
must  not  be,  but  you  must  yield  a  willing  obedience 
to  suffer  all  that  is  appointed  you,  from  whatsoever 
it  may  proceed.  For  know  that  you  must  needs 
walk  in  that  same  path  of  which  our  Lord  spoke  to 
that  young  man; — you  must  take  up  your  cross 
and  follow  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  His  example, 
in  utter  sincerity,  humility,  and  patience,  and  must 
let  go  all  your  proud,  ingenious  reason,  which  you 
have  through  your  learning  in  the  Scripture.  You 
shall  also  for  a  time  neither  study  nor  preach,  and 
you  shall  demean  yourself  with  great  simplicity 
towards  your  penitents  ;  for  when  they  have  ended 
their  confession,  you  shall  give  them  no  further 
counsel  than  to  say  to  them,  '  I  will  learn  how  to 
counsel  myself,  and  when  I  can  do  that  I  will  also 
counsel  you.'    And  if  you  are  asked  when  you  will 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND  LIFE       71 

preach,  say,  as  you  can  with  truth,  that  you  have 
not  time  at  present,  and  so  you  will  get  rid  of  the 
people."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  I  will 
willingly  do  so ;  but  how  then  shall  I  occupy 
myself  ?  "  The  man  replied,  "  You  shall  enter  into 
your  cell,  and  read  your  Hours,  and  also  chant  in  the 
choir  if  you  feel  inclined,  and  shall  say  mass  every 
day.  And  what  time  is  left,  you  shall  set  before  you 
the  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  and  contemplate  your 
own  life  in  the  mirror  of  His,  and  meditate  on  your 
wasted  time  in  which  you  have  been  living  for 
yourself,  and  how  small  has  been  your  love  com- 
pared to  His  love.  In  all  lowliness  ye  shall  study 
these  things,  whereby  in  some  measure  ye  may  be 
brought  to  true  humihty,  and  also  wean  yourself 
from  your  old  habits,  and  cea??  from  them.  rxvA 
then,  when  our  Lord  sees  that  the  time  is  come, 
He  will  make  of  you  a  new  maii,  so  that  you  si:all 
be  bom  again  of  God. 

"  Nevertheless,  you  must  know  that  before  this 
can  come  to  pass,  you  must  sell  all  that  you  have, 
and  humbly  yield  it  up  to  God,  that  you  may 
truly  make  Him  your  end,  and  give  up  to  Him  all 
that  you  possess  in  your  carnal  pride,  whether 
through  the  Scriptures  or  without ;  or  whatever  it 
be,  whereby  you  might  reap  honour  in  this  world,  or 
in  the  which  you  may  aforetime  have  taken  pleasure 
or  delight,  you  must  let  it  all  go,  and,  with  Mary 
Magdalene,  fall  down  at  Christ's  feet,  and  earnestly 
strive  to  enter  on  a  new  course.  And  so  doing, 
without  doubt,  the  Eternal  Heavenly  Prince  will 
look  down  on  you  with  the  eye  of  His  good  pleasure, 
and  He  will  not  leave  His  work  undone  in  you,  but 
will  urge  you  still  further,  that  you  may  be  tried  and 


72       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

purified  as  gold  in  the  fire  ;  and  it  may  even  come  to 
pass,  that  He  shall  give  you  to  drink  of  the  bitter 
cup  that  He  gave  to  His  only-begotten  Son.  For 
it  is  my  belief  that  one  bitter  drop  which  God 
will  pour  out  for  you  will  be  that  your  good  works 
and  all  your  refraining  from  evil,  yea  your  whole 
life  will  be  despised  and  turned  to  nought  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people  ;  and  all  your  spiritual  children 
will  forsake  you  and  think  you  are  gone  out  of  your 
mind,  and  all  your  good  friends  and  your  brothers  in 
the  convent  will  be  offended  at  your  life,  and  say 
that  you  have  taken  to  strange  ways. 

"  But  when  these  things  come  upon  you,  be  not  in 
any  wise  dismayed,  but  rejoice,  for  then  your  salva- 
tion draweth  nigh ;  howbeit,  no  doubt,  your  human 
weakness  will  shrink  back  in  terror,  and  give  way. 
Therefore,  dear  Master,  you  must  not  be  faint- 
hearted, but  trust  firmly  in  God,  for  He  forsakes 
none  of  His  servants,  as  you  know  well  from  the 
examples  of  the  blessed  saints.  Now,  dear  sir,  if 
so  be  that  you  are  minded  to  take  these  things  in 
hand,  know  that  there  is  nothing  better  or  more 
profitable  for  you  at  this  present  than  an  entire, 
hearty,  humble  self-surrender  in  all  things,  whether 
sweet  or  bitter,  painful  or  pleasant,  so  that  you  may 
be  able  to  say  with  truth,  '  Ah,  my  Lord  and  my 
God,  if  it  were  thy  will  that  I  should  remain  till  the 
Day  of  Judgment  in  this  suffering  and  tribulation, 
yet  would  I  not  fall  away  from  thee,  but  would  desire 
ever  to  be  constant  in  thy  service.'  Dear  sir,  I  see 
well,  by  God's  grace,  how  you  are  thinking  in  your 
heart,  that  I  have  said  very  hard  things  to  you,  and 
this  is  why  I  begged  you  beforehand  to  let  me  go, 
and  told  you  that  if  you  went  back  like  that  young 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE       73 

man,  I  would  not  have  it  laid  to  my  charge."  Then 
said  the  Master,  "  Thou  sayest  truly ;  I  confess  it 
does  seem  to  me  a  hard  thing  to  follow  your  counsel." 
The  man  answered,  "  Yet  you  begged  me  to  show  you 
the  shortest  way  to  the  highest  perfectness.  Now  I 
know  no  shorter  nor  surer  way  than  to  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But,  dear  sir, 
I  counsel  you  in  all  faithfulness,  to  take  a  certain 
space  of  time  to  consider  these  matters,  and  then 
in  God's  name  do  as  God  gives  you  grace  to  do." 
Then  said  the  Master,  "  That  will  I  do,  and  wait  and 
see  whether,  with  the  help  of  God,  I  may  prevail." 


EIGHTH  CHAPTER 

How  it  fared  with  the  Doctor  after  this,  and  how  he  fell 
into  great  tribulation  and  contempt,  till  he  fell  ill 
thereby ;  and  how  the  layman  counselled  him,  and 
allowed  him  to  help  nature  with  some  good  food  and 
spices,  and  afterwards  departed  from  him. 

ON  the  eleventh  day  after  this,  the  Master 
sent  for  the  man,  and  said  to  him,  "  Ah, 
dear  son,  what  agony  and  struggle  and  fighting  have 
I  not  had  within  me  day  and  night,  before  I  was 
able  to  overcome  the  Devil  and  my  own  flesh.  But 
now  by  God's  grace  I  have  gathered  myself  together 
with  all  my  powers  inward  and  outward,  and  set  my 
hand  to  this  work  with  good  courage,  and  am  pur- 
posed to  remain  steadfast  therein,  come  weal  come 
woe."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  sir,  do  you  re- 
member still  all  I  said  to  you  when  you  asked  me 
how  you  should  begin  ?  "  The  Master  answered, 
"  Yes,  the  moment  thou  didst  depart  I  wrote  down 
all  thou  hadst  said  to  me,  word  for  word."  Then 
said  the  man,  "  Dear  sir,  that  through  God  you 
have  found  this  bold  heart,  rejoices  me  from  the 
bottom  of  my  soul,  and  I  am  as  well  pleased  as 
if  it  had  happened  to  myself,  so  God  be  my 
witness.  And  now  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  set  forward."     Then  the  man   took 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       75 

his  leave,  and  the  Master  did  as  he  had  been 
bidden. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  before  a  year  was  out  the 
Master  grew  to  be  despised  of  all  his  familiar  friends 
in  the  convent,  and  his  spiritual  children  all  forsook 
him  as  entirely  as  if  they  had  never  seen  him.  And 
this  he  found  very  hard  to  bear,  and  it  caused  him 
such  grief  that  his  head  was  hke  to  turn.  Then  he 
sent  for  the  man  and  told  him  how  it  fared  with 
him ;  how  he  was  ill  in  his  whole  body,  and 
especially  in  his  head.  Then  said  the  man,  "  Sir, 
you  must  not  be  dismayed,  but  you  must  humbly 
cleave  to  God,  and  put  your  firm  trust  in  Him. 
Know  that  this  account  of  yours  pleases  me  well, 
and  it  stands  well  with  your  life,  and  will  grow  better 
every  day. 

"  Dear  sir,  you  know  well  that  he  who  will  walk  in 
the  right  way,  and  tread  this  path,  must  be  made  a 
partaker  of  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
therefore  be  not  afraid,  but  commit  yourself  wholly 
to  God.  For  know  that  the  same  thing  happened  to 
me  also.  Meanwhile  you  must  take  some  remedies 
while  you  are  in  this  state,  and  treat  your  body  well 
with  good  food  which  may  strengthen  it.  A  box  of 
spices  was  made  for  me,  and  I  will  have  such  an  one 
prepared  for  you  to  strengthen  your  head.  But  you 
must  know  that  I  always  gave  myself  up  body  and 
soul  to  God,  that  He  might  do  with  them  what  he 
pleased." 

Then  said  the  Master,  "  But  thou  didst  tell  me 
before  that  I  must  shun  good  eating  and  drinking." 
The  man  answered,  "  Yes,  sir,  that  wels  in  the  first 
beginning,  when  the  flesh  was  yet  wanton,  but  now 
that  it  is  tamed  and  obedient  to  the  spirit,  we  may 


76       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

come  to  its  help  with  remedies,  else  we  should  tempt 
God.  So  long  as  you  are  in  this  sickness,  you  will  be 
serving  God  to  cherish  your  body  by  allowable  means, 
but  not  to  live  disorderly ;  that  must  not  be.  Dear 
sir,  make  God  your  help,  and  go  forward  with  cheer- 
ful mind,  and  commit  yourself  to  God  with  true  and 
thorough  resignation,  and  put  your  trust  in  His 
boundless  mercy,  and  wait  for  His  grace  to  show  you 
what  He  will  have  you  to  do,  and  then  with  His  help 
strive  to  fulfil  that  to  the  uttermost,  whether  it  be 
bitter  or  sweet.  Further,  I  beseech  you  for  God's 
sake  not  to  take  it  amiss  of  me,  but  I  must  go  home 
on  account  of  a  very  important  matter,  which  I 
assure  you  in  all  earnestness  I  have  much  at  heart ; 
but  if  so  be  that  you  could  not  or  would  not  do 
without  me,  send  into  the  town  for  me,  and  I  wiU 
gladly  come ;  but  if  you  can  bear  up  without  the 
aid  of  any  creature,  that  would  be  best  of  all  for 
you."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  say  not  so, 
for  I  cannot  and  would  not  do  without  thee  for  any 
length  of  time ;  it  would  be  hard  indeed  if  thou  didst 
forsake  me,  for  then  I  should  have  no  consolation  left 
in  the  world."  The  man  said,  "  Dear  sir,  I  will  show 
you  a  better  Comforter,  that  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
has  called  and  invited  and  brought  you  to  this  point, 
by  means  of  me  His  poor  creature,  but  it  is  His 
work  which  has  been  wrought  in  you,  and  not 
mine ;  I  have  been  merely  His  instrument,  and 
served  Him  therein,  and  have  done  so  right  willingly, 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  your  soul." 
Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son,  may  God  be  thine 
eternal  reward !  Since  it  is  so  weighty  a  matter,  I 
will  commit  myself  to  God,  and  bear  this  suffering 
as  best  I  may."    The  man  said,  "  Dear  sir,  since  you 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       77 

are  now  under  the  yoke,  and  have  entered  on  a 
spiritual  life  and  obedience  to  God,  and  have  volun- 
tarily devoted  yourself  thereto,  you  should  know 
how  to  live  discreetly  and  wisely,  and  to  govern 
yourself  aright ;  and  do  not  let  it  repent  you  because 
you  are  forsaken  of  the  creatures,  but  if  it  should 
happen  that  you  lack  money,  or  have  need  of  some, 
put  a  part  of  your  books  in  pawn,  and  do  not  suffer 
yourself  to  want  for  anything,  but  by  no  means  sell 
the  books,  for  a  time  will  come  when  good  books  will 
be  very  useful,  and  you  will  have  need  of  them." 
Then  the  man  took  his  leave  and  departed  from  that 
place,  but  the  Master's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he 
began  to  weep. 


NINTH  CHAPTER 

How  Doctor  Tauter  was  visited,  touched,  and  illumin- 
ated after  a  wonderful  manner  by  God,  and  how  the 
layman  came  to  him  again,  and  admonished  him 
tenderly  to  begin  to  preach  afresh,  and  to  exercise 
himself  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Also  concerning  a 
strange  event  that  befell  him  afterwards,  whereby  he 
was  still  more  tried  and  humbled,  yet  not  without 
fruit. 

NOW  when  the  Master  had  suffered  thus  for  two 
years,  from  sore  assaults  and  temptations  of 
the  Devil,  and  great  contempt  from  all  his  friends,  and 
also  great  poverty,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  pledge 
a  part  of  his  books,  and  withal  fell  into  great  weak- 
ness of  the  body,  and  he  had  demeaned  himself  with 
great  humility  throughout ; — behold,  it  came  to  pass 
on  the  Feast  of  St.  Paul's  Conversion,  that  in  the 
night  he  was  overtaken  by  the  most  grievous  assault 
that  may  be  imagined,  whereby  all  his  natural  powers 
were  so  overcome  with  weakness  that  when  the 
time  for  matins  came  he  could  not  go  in  to  chapel, 
but  remained  in  his  cell,  and  commended  himself  to 
God  in  great  humiHty,  without  help  or  consolation 
from  any  creature.  And  as  he  lay  in  this  state  of 
weakness,  he  thought  of  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  His  great  love  that  He  had  for  us, 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE       79 

and  considered  his  own  life,  how  poor  his  life  had 
been  compared  to  the  love  of  God.  Whereupon  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  contrition  for  all  his  sins  and 
all  his  wasted  time,  and  exclaimed  with  tongue  and 
heart :  "  O  merciful  God  !  have  mercy  upon  me  a 
poor  sinner,  for  thy  boundless  mercy's  sake,  for  I  am 
not  worthy  that  the  earth  should  bear  me."  And 
as  he  was  lying  in  this  weakness  and  great  sad- 
ness, but  fully  awake,  he  heard  with  his  bodily 
ears  a  voice  saying :  "  Stand  fast  in  thy  peace, 
and  trust  God,  and  know  that  when  He  was  on 
earth  in  human  nature,  He  made  the  sick  whom  He 
healed  in  body  sound  also  in  soul."  Straightway 
when  these  words  were  uttered,  he  lost  his  senses 
and  reason,  and  knew  not  how  or  where  he  was. 
But  when  he  came  to  himself  again,  he  felt  within 
himself  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  new  strength  and 
might  in  all  powers  outward  and  inward,  and  had 
also  a  clear  understanding  in  those  things  which 
aforetime  were  dark  to  him,  and  he  wondered  greatly 
whence  this  came,  and  thought  to  himself,  "  I  cannot 
come  to  the  bottom  of  this  matter.  I  will  send  for 
my  friend  and  tell  him  all  that  has  happened."  So 
he  sent  for  the  man;  and  when  he  was  come,  the 
Master  told  him  all  that  had  befallen  him.  Then 
the  man  said,  "It  rejoices  me  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart  to  hear  all  that  you  have  told  me.  Dear 
sir,  you  must  know  that  you  have  now  for  the  first 
time  received  the  true  and  mighty  gift  of  God's  grace ; 
and  I  tell  you  of  a  truth  that  now,  for  the  first  time, 
your  soul  has  been  touched  by  the  Most  High ;  and 
know  that,  as  the  letter  hath  in  some  measure  slain 
you,  so  it  shall  hkewise  make  you  alive  again,  for 
your  doctrine  will  come  now  from  the  Holy  Ghost, 


8o       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

which  before  came  from  the  flesh ;  for  you  have  now 
received  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  the  grace  of 
God,  and  you  already  know  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
Therefore  you  have  now  a  great  advantage,  and  you 
will  henceforward  have  a  much  clearer  insight  into 
the  Scripture  than  you  had  before.  For,  as  you 
know,  the  Scripture  sounds  in  many  places  as  if  it 
contradicted  itself,  but  since  that  you  have  now,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  received  the  Holy  Scriptures  into 
your  own  heart  through  the  illumination  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  you  will  perceive  that  all  Scripture  has  the 
same  intent,  and  does  not  contradict  itself,  and  you 
will  also  be  able  rightly  to  follow  the  pattern  left  us 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  You  ought  also  to  begin 
to  preach  again,  and  to  teach  your  fellow-Christians, 
and  show  them  the  right  path  to  eternal  life.  The 
time  is  come  now  when  good  books  will  be  profitable 
to  you ;  for  know  that  one  of  your  sermons  will  be 
more  profitable  now,  and  the  people  will  receive 
more  fruit  therefrom,  than  from  a  hundred  aforetime, 
for  the  words  that  you  say  now,  coming  from  a  pure 
soul,  will  have  a  pure  and  simple  favour.  Wherefore, 
just  as  much  as  you  have  been  despised  by  the  people, 
so  shall  you  now  be  esteemed  and  beloved  by  them. 
But  it  will  be  most  especially  needful  that  you  keep 
yourself  humble,  for  you  know  well  that  he  who 
carries  a  great  treasure  exposed  to  view  must  ever  be 
on  his  guard  against  thieves.  I  tell  you  truly  the 
Devil  is  in  great  terror  when  he  perceives  that  God 
has  bestowed  on  any  man  such  a  noble  and  precious 
treasure,  and  the  devils  will  set  all  their  arts  and 
wisdom,  and  their  lusts  too,  to  work,  to  rob  and 
bereave  you  of  this  costly  treasure ;  wherefore 
look  wisely  to  your  goings,  for  nothing  will  so  greatly 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       8i 

help  you  to  preserve  it  as  utter  humility.  Now, 
dear  sir,  it  is  no  longer  needful  for  me  to  speak  to 
you  as  a  teacher,  as  I  have  done  hitherto,  for  you 
have  now  the  right  and  true  Master,  whose  instru- 
ment I  have  been  :  to  Him  give  ear,  and  obey  His 
commands ;  this  is  my  most  faithful  counsel.  And 
now,  in  all  godly  love,  I  desire  to  receive  instruction 
from  you,  for  I  have,  with  God's  help,  accompUshed 
the  good  work  for  which  I  was  sent  and  came  hither. 
I  would  fain,  if  God  will,  sojourn  here  a  good  while 
and  hear  you  preach.  If  God  give  you  to  do  so, 
methinks  it  were  well  that  you  should  now  begin  to 
preach  again."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear  son, 
what  had  I  better  do ;  I  have  pledged  a  great  many 
good  books,  as  many  as  come  to  thirty  florins  ?  " 
The  man  answered,  "  Look  !  I  will  give  you  that 
sum,  for  God's  sake,  and  if  you  have  any  of  it  left 
over,  give  it  back  to  God,  for  all  that  we  have  is 
His,  whether  temporal  or  spiritual."  So  the  Master 
redeemed  his  books,  and  ordered  notice  to  be  given 
that  he  would  preach  three  days  after.  The  people 
wondered  much  thereat,  because  it  was  so  long  since 
he  had  preached,  and  a  great  crowd  gathered 
together  to  hear  him.  And  when  the  Master  came 
and  saw  that  there  was  such  a  multitude,  he  went 
up  into  a  pulpit  in  a  high  place  that  they  might 
hear  him  ail  the  better.  Then  he  held  his  hood 
before  his  eyes,  and  said,  "  O  merciful,  Eternal 
God,  if  it  be  Thy  will,  give  me  so  to  speak  that  it  may 
be  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  Thy  name  and  the  good 
of  this  people."  As  he  said  these  words,  his  eyes 
overflowed  with  tears  of  tenderness,  so  that  he  could 
not  speak  a  word  for  weeping,  and  this  lasted  so  long 
that  the  people  grew  angry.     At  last  a  man  spoke 

F 


82       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

out  of  the  crowd,  "  Sir,  how  long  are  we  to  stand 
here  ?  It  is  getting  late ;  if  you  do  not  mean  to 
preach,  let  us  go  home."  But  the  Master  remained 
in  earnest  prayer,  and  said  again  to  God,  "  Oh,  my 
Lord  and  my  God,  if  it  be  Thy  divine  will,  take 
this  weeping  from  my  eyes,  and  give  me  to  deliver 
this  sermon  to  Thy  praise  and  glory.  But,  if 
Thou  dost  not  do  it,  I  take  it  as  a  sign  that  Thou 
judgest  I  have  not  yet  been  enough  put  to  shame. 
Now  fuljEil,  dear  Lord,  Thy  divine  will  on  me  Thy 
poor  creature,  to  Thy  praise  and  my  necessities." 
This  aU  availed  nothing ;  he  wept  yet  more  and  more. 
Then  he  saw  that  God  would  have  it  so,  and  said, 
with  weeping  eyes,  "  Dear  children,  I  am  sorry  from 
my  heart  that  I  have  kept  you  here  so  long,  for  I 
cannot  speak  a  word  to-day  for  weeping ;  pray  God 
for  me,  that  He  may  help  me,  and  then  I  wiU  make 
amends  to  you,  if  God  give  me  grace,  another  time, 
as  soon  as  ever  I  am  able."  So  the  people  departed, 
and  this  tale  was  spread  abroad  and  resounded 
through  the  whole  city,  so  that  he  became  a  public 
laughing-stock,  despised  by  all;  and  the  people 
said,  "  Now  we  all  see  that  he  has  become  a  down- 
right fool."  And  his  own  brethren  strictly  forbade 
him  to  preach  any  more,  because  he  did  the  convent 
great  injury  thereby,  and  disgraced  the  order  with 
the  senseless  practices  that  he  had  taken  up,  and 
which  had  disordered  his  brain. 

Then  the  Master  sent  for  the  man,  and  told  him  all 
that  had  happened.  The  man  said,  "  Dear  Master, 
be  of  good  cheer,  and  be  not  dismayed  at  these 
things.  The  Bridegroom  is  wont  to  behave  so  to  all 
His  best  and  dearest  friends,  and  it  is  a  certain  sign 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       83 

that  God  is  your  good  friend,  for,  without  a  doubt, 
He  has  seen  some  speck  of  pride  concealed  within 
you  that  you  have  not  perceived,  nor  been  conscious 
of  yourself,  and  therefore  it  is  that  you  have  been 
put  to  shame.  You  may  have  received  some  great 
gifts  of  God,  which  you  yourself  do  not  know  or 
perceive,  that  have  been  given  you  by  means  of  the 
patience  with  which  you  have  endured  this  assault ; 
therefore  be  of  good  cheer,  and  be  joyful  and  humble. 
Neither  should  you  think  this  a  strange  thing,  for  I 
have  seen  many  such  instances  in  other  people. 
You  shall  not  despise  this  pressure  of  the  cross  which 
God  has  sent  you,  but  count  it  a  great  blessing  and 
favour  from  God.  I  counsel  you  that  you  remain 
alone  for  the  next  five  days,  and  endure  without 
speaking  to  any,  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  the  five 
wounds  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  when  the 
five  days  are  ended,  beg  your  Prior  to  give  you  per- 
mission to  deliver  a  sermon  in  Latin.  If  he  refuse, 
beg  him  to  let  you  try  in  the  school  and  read  a  lecture 
to  the  brethren."  And  he  did  so ;  and  read  to  his 
brethren  such  an  excellent  lecture  as  they  had  never 
heard  in  their  lives  before,  so  grand  and  deep  and 
godly  was  his  doctrine.  Then  they  gave  him 
permission  to  preach  a  sermon ;  and  after  one  of 
their  brethren  had  preached  in  the  church  where 
the  Master  was  wont  to  preach,  he  gave  notice  to 
the  people,  and  said,  "  I  am  ordered  to  announce 
that  to-morrow  the  Master  intends  to  preach  in  this 
place ;  but  if  it  should  befall  him  as  it  did  lately,  I 
will  not  be  answerable  for  it.  So  much  I  can  say 
with  truth,  that  in  our  school  he  has  read  us  a  lecture 
containing    such  great  and  profound    instruction, 


84       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

with  high  and  divine  wisdom,  as  we  have  not  heard 
for  a  long  time.  But  what  he  will  do  this  time  I 
know  not ;  God  only  knoweth."  The  next  day 
after,  the  Master  came  to  the  convent  (it  was  a 
convent  of  ladies),  and  began  to  preach,  and  said  ; 


TENTH  CHAPTER 

An  excellent  sermon  which  this  Doctor  delivered  in  a 
convent  after  his  illumination,  concerning  Christ 
the  true  Bridegroom  of  the  soul,  in  the  which  he 
showed  how  she  is  to  follow  Him  in  true,  shamefaced, 
humble,  and  patient  resignation,  and  how  Christ 
tries  her  beforehand  in  divers  ways,  and  at  last 
accepts  her  lovingly.  Taken  from  these  words — 
"  Ecce  sponsus  venit,  exite  obviam  ei "  (Matt. 
XXV.  6). 

DEAR  children,  it  may  be  now  two  years 
or  more  since  I  last  preached.  I  spoke 
to  you  then  of  four-and-twenty  Articles,  and  it  was 
then  my  custom  to  speak  much  Latin,  and  to 
make  many  quotations ;  but  I  intend  to  do  so  no 
more,  but  if  I  wish  to  talk  Latin,  I  will  do  so  when 
the  learned  are  present,  who  can  understand  it.  For 
this  time  repeat  only  an  Ave  Maria  to  begin  with, 
and  pray  for  God's  grace. 

Dear  children,  I  have  taken  a  text  on  which 
I  mean  to  preach  this  sermon,  and  not  to  go 
beyond  it :  in  the  vulgar  tongue  it  runs  thus, — 
"  Behold  the  Bridegroom  cometh,  go  ye  out  to  med 
himr 

The  Bridegroom  is  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
Bride  is  the  Holy  Church  and  Christendom.     Now 


86       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

we  are  all  called  brides  of  Christ,  wherefore  we  ought 
to  be  willing  to  go  forth  and  meet  our  Bridegroom  ; 
but,  alas  !  we  are  not  so.  The  true  paths  and  straight 
highways  by  which  to  go  out  to  meet  the  Bridegroom 
are,  alas  !  nowadays  quite  deserted  and  falling  into 
decay,  till  we  have  come  hardly  to  perceive  where 
they  are  ;  nay,  this  highway  is  to  many  quite  strange 
and  unknown,  so  that  they  do  not  go  out  to  meet 
the  Bridegroom,  as  they  are  in  duty  bound  to  do,  of 
which  I  will  speak  another  time,  with  God's  help  ; 
but  now,  since  we  hear  that  we  are  aU  called  brides, 
I  wiU  tell  you  somewhat  concerning  what  the  Bride 
must  do  in  order  to  go  and  meet  the  Bridegroom. 

It  is  seemly  that  a  faithful  Bride  should  avoid 
everything  that  is  displeasing  to  the  Bridegroom, 
such  as  vain-glory,  pride,  envy,  and  all  the  other  sins 
of  this  world,  and  all  the  delights  of  the  body  and  the 
flesh,  whether  it  be  the  ease  and  indulgence  of  the 
body,  or  other  things  which  are  beyond  the  neces- 
saries of  Hfe.  Further,  it  beseems  a  faithful  Bride  to 
be  shamefaced.  When  this  comes  to  pass,  and  the 
Bride,  for  her  Bridegroom's  sake,  has  despised  and 
given  up  all  these  things,  then  she  begins  to  be 
somewhat  well-pleasing  to  the  Bridegroom. 

But,  if  she  desires  to  be  yet  more  well-pleasing  in 
His  sight,  she  must  humbly  bow  down  before  Him, 
and  say  with  heart  and  lips,  "  Ah !  my  dear  Lord 
and  Bridegroom,  Thou  knowest  all  hearts.  I  have 
said  to  Thee,  with  my  whole  heart,  that  I  desire  to 
do  all  that  I  can  and  may,  and  to  do  it  willingly, 
as  far  as  Thou  givest  me  to  perceive  through  my  con- 
science what  is  agreeable  and  well-pleasing  to  Thee." 
When  the  Bride  makes  this  vow  to  the  Bridegroom, 
He  turneth  himself  and  begins  to  look  upon  her. 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       87 

Then  she  beseeches  Him  to  bestow  upon  her  some  gift 
as  a  token  of  love.  What  is  the  gift  ?  It  is  that  she 
is  inwardly  and  outwardly  beset  with  divers  assaults, 
with  which  He  is  wont  to  endow  his  special  friends. 

But  if  the  Bride  be  as  yet  unaccustomed  to  suffer, 
she  will  say,  "  Ah  !  dear  Lord  and  Bridegroom,  this 
is  very  hard  upon  me  ;  I  greatly  fear  that  I  shall 
scarcely  be  able  to  endure  it.  Therefore,  dear  Lord 
and  Bridegroom,  I  pray  Thee  to  make  my  burden 
somewhat  more  tolerable,  or  else  to  take  a  part  of  it 
away."  Then  the  Bridegroom  answers,  "  Tell  me 
then,  dear  Bride,  should  the  Bride  fare  better  than 
the  Bridegroom  has  fared  ?  If  thou  desirest  to  meet 
the  Bridegroom,  thou  must  imitate  Him  in  some  sort, 
and  it  is,  moreover,  reasonable  that  a  faithful  Bride 
should  suffer  somewhat  with  Him  for  her  Bride- 
groom's sake."  Now  when  the  Bride  heareth  what 
is  the  will  of  her  Bridegroom,  and  how  grave  a  matter 
it  is,  she  is  sore  affrighted,  and  says,  "  Dear  Lord  and 
Bridegroom,  be  not  wroth  with  me,  for  I  will  gladly 
hearken  unto  Thee  :  appoint  unto  me  what  Thou 
wilt ;  I  am  willing  to  suffer  all  things  with  Thy  help 
and  in  thy  love."  When  the  Bridegroom  heareth 
this,  He  loveth  the  Bride  yet  better  than  He  did 
before,  and  giveth  her  to  drink  of  a  still  better  cup. 
This  cup  is  that  she  is  to  cease  from  all  her  own 
thoughts,  and  all  her  works  and  refrainings  will  give 
her  no  content,  for  she  can  take  pleasure  in  nothing 
that  is  her  own.  However  good  the  actions  may  be 
in  themselves,  she  is  always  thinking  how  she  shall 
anger  her  Bridegroom  therewith,  and  feareth  much 
that  she  will,  perhaps,  have  to  suffer  a  great  punish- 
ment for  them  hereafter.  Moreover,  she  is  derided 
by  all,  and  these  things  are  accounted  her  folly. 


88       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

Now,  children,  by  reason  of  all  these  things,  her 
natural  powers  become  wearied  out  and  grow  feeble, 
insomuch  that  she  is  constantly  in  fear  lest  she  should 
not  hold  out  to  the  end,  but  must  die  at  last ;  and 
hereupon  she  is  greatly  terrified,  for  she  is  yet  some- 
what timorous  and  faint-hearted.  Then  she  cries 
earnestly  unto  the  Bridegroom,  and  says,  "  Ah !  dear 
Lord  and  Bridegroom,  how  great  are  Thy  terrors ; 
know  that  I  cannot  endure  them  long  :  I  must  die." 
But  the  Bridegroom  answers,  "  If  thou  wilt  in  truth 
go  out  to  meet  thy  Bridegroom,  it  is  fitting  that  thou 
should  first  tread  some  portion  of  the  path  that  He 
has  travelled.  Now  whereas  the  Bridegroom  has 
suffered  shame,  hunger,  cold,  thirst,  heat,  and  bitter 
ppins,  for  three  and  thirty  years,  and  at  last  a  bitter 
death,  for  the  Bride's  sake,  out  of  pure  love,  is  it  not 
ju.  t  and  right  that  the  Bride  should  venture  even 
her  life  for  the  Bridegroom's  sake,  out  of  love, 
and  with  all  her  heart  ?  Verily,  if  thou  hadst  the 
right  sort  of  love  and  true  faithfulness  unto  thy 
Bridegroom,  all  thy  fear  would  vanish." 

Then  when  she  hears  these  words  of  the  Bride- 
groom her  whole  heart  is  moved  with  fear,  and  she 
says,  "  Ah  !  dear  Lord,  I  acknowledge  in  all  sincerity 
that  I  have  done  wrong,  and  I  am  out  of  all  measure 
terrified  at  it ;  I  grieve  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
that  I  have  not  with  a  faithful  heart  yielded  myself 
up  unto  Thee,  even  unto  death.  Dear  Lord  and 
Bridegroom,  I  here  vow  and  promise  to  Thee  surely 
that  all  which  Thou  wiliest  I  also  will.  Come  sickness, 
come  health,  come  pleasure  or  pain,  sweet  or  bitter, 
cold  or  heat,  wet  or  dry,  whatever  Thou  wiliest,  that 
do  I  also  will ;  and  desire  altogether  to  come  out  from 
my  own  will,  and  to  yield  a  whole  and  wilHng  obedi- 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       89 

ence  unto  Thee,  and  never  to  desire  aught  else  either 
in  will  or  thought :  only  let  Thy  will  be  accomplished 
in  me,  Thy  poor  unworthy  creature,  in  time  and  in 
eternity.  For,  dear  Lord,  when  I  look  at  what  I  am, 
I  am  not  worthy  that  the  earth  should  bear  me." 

Now  when  the  Bridegroom  seeth  this  entire  and 
faithful  will  in  the  Bride,  and  her  deep  and  thorough 
humiUty,  what  does  He  then  do  ?  His  heart  yearns 
over  the  Bride,  and  giveth  her  a  very  costly,  noble, 
sweet  cup  to  drink.  What  is  this  cup  ?  It  is  that 
she  suffers  yet  far  more  from  all  manner  of  tempta- 
tion and  tribulation  than  she  has  ever  suffered 
before.  And  when  the  Bride  perceiveth  this,  and 
seeth  the  Bridegroom's  earnestness  and  good  pleasure 
concerning  her,  she  suffereth  all  these  things  wiUingly 
and  gladly  for  the  Bridegroom's  sake,  and  boweth 
herself  down  humbly  before  Him,  and  saith,  "  Ah ! 
dear  Lord  and  Bridegroom,  it  is  just  and  right  that 
Thou  shouldest  not  will  as  I  will,  but  I  desire  and 
ought  to  will  as  Thou  wilt ;  I  receive  this  gift  right 
willingly  and  gladly  for  Thy  love  from  Thy  divine 
hand,  whether  it  be  pleasant  or  painful  to  the  flesh,  I 
acquiesce  wholly  in  it  for  love  of  Thee." 

Now  when  the  Bridegroom,  in  His  eternal  wisdom, 
perceives  this  disposition  within  His  humble  Bride, 
and  her  thorough  earnestness,  she  begins  to  grow 
precious  to  Him,  and  from  hearty  love  He  giveth  her 
to  suffer  in  all  her  nature,  until  the  Bride  is  wholly 
purified  from  all  faults  and  stain  of  sin,  and  become 
perfectly  fair  and  unspotted.  Then  He  says,  "  Now 
rise  up,  my  beloved,  my  pleasant,  my  beautiful  Bride, 
for  Thou  art  pure  and  without  spot,  and  altogether 
lovely  in  my  eyes."  Then  He  looks  upon  her  with 
infinite,  mighty,  divine  love.     To  this  joyful  high- 


go       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

tide  Cometh  the  Father  of  the  Eternal  Bridegroom, 
and  saith  to  the  Bride,  "  Rise  up,  my  lovely,  chosen 
beloved,  it  is  time  to  go  to  Church,"  and  He  taketh 
the  Bridegroom  and  the  Bride,  and  leadeth  them  to 
the  Church,  and  marries  them  to  each  other,  and 
binds  them  together  with  divine  love  ;  yea,  God  doth 
bind  them  together  in  bonds  so  fast  that  they  can 
never  be  parted  again,  either  in  time  or  eternity. 
And  when,  in  these  divine  espousals,  they  have  been 
made  one,  the  Bridegroom  saith,  "  O,  beloved  and 
Eternal  Father,  what  shall  be  our  wedding-gift  ?  " 
And  the  Father  saith,  "  The  Holy  Ghost,  for  that  it 
is  His  office  to  be  in  the  Father's  stead."  And  He 
sheds  forth  upon  the  Bride  the  torrent  of  divine  love, 
and  this  love  flows  out  unto  the  Bridegroom,  inso- 
much that  the  Bride  loseth  herself,  and  is  intoxicated 
with  love,  so  that  she  forgets  herself  and  all  creatures, 
in  time  or  eternity,  together  with  herself. 

Now  he  only  who  is  bidden  to  such  a  spiritual, 
glorious  marriage-feast,  and  has  obeyed  the  call,  does 
for  the  first  time  perceive  and  taste  the  real,  true, 
blessed,  gracious  sweetness  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Now 
is  this  Bride  a  true  worshipper,  for  she  worshippeth 
the  Father  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  this  marriage- 
feast  is  joy  upon  joy,  and  therein  is  more  peace  and 
joy  in  one  hour  than  aU  the  creatures  can  yield  in 
time  or  in  eternity.  The  joy  that  the  Bride  hath 
with  the  Bridegroom  is  so  vast  that  no  senses  or 
reason  can  apprehend  or  attain  unto  it." 

As  the  Doctor  spoke  these  words  a  man  cried  out 
with  a  loud  voice,  "  It  is  true  !  "  and  fell  down  as  if 
he  were  dead.  Then  a  woman  called  out  from  the 
crowd  and  said,  "  Master,  leave  off,  or  this  man  will 
die  on  your  hands." 


TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE       91 

Then  the  Master  said,  "  Ah,  dear  children,  and  if 
the  Bridegroom  take  the  Bride  and  lead  her  home 
with  Him,  we  will  gladly  yield  her  to  Him  ;  neverthe- 
less, I  will  make  an  end  and  leave  off.  Dear  children, 
let  us  all  cry  unto  the  Lord  our  God  in  Heaven.  For 
verily  we  have  all  need  so  to  do,  seeing  that,  alas  !  we 
have  grown  so  dull  of  hearing  and  foolish  of  heart  that 
none  of  us  has  compassion  on  his  fellow,  although  we 
confess  that  we  are  all  called  brothers  and  sisters. 
There  be  also  few  who  are  wiUing  to  fight  their  way 
against  their  own  flesh,  and  follow  the  Bridegroom, 
in  order  to  reach  a  nobler  joy  and  a  glorious  wedding- 
feast. 

I  give  you  to  know  that  in  these  days  those  be  few 
and  far  between  who  do  truly  go  out  to  meet  the 
Bridegroom,  such  as  there  were  many  in  the  olden 
time.  Therefore  it  behoveth  each  one  to  look  at 
himself  and  consider  his  ways  with  great  earnestness. 
For  the  time  is  at  hand — nay,  it  is  already  come — 
when  it  may  be  said  of  most  who  are  now  living  here, 
that  "  they  have  eyes  and  see  not,  and  ears  that  hear 
not."  Dear  children,  let  us  all  strive  to  enter  into 
this  wedding-feast,  most  rich  in  joy,  and  honour,  and 
blessedness. 

But  when  the  Bride  departs  from  this  marriage- 
feast  and  is  left  to  herself,  and  beholds  that  she  has 
come  back  again  to  this  miserable  earthly  state,  she 
says  within  herself,  "  O  !  poor  miserable  creature  that 
I  am,  am  I  here  again  ?  "  And  she  is  sad  in  herself  ; 
nevertheless,  she  is  so  utterly  resigned  in  boundless 
humility  to  her  Bridegroom,  that  she  in  no  wise  may 
think  of  or  desire  His  presence,  because  she  deems 
herself  wholly  unworthy  thereof.  But  the  Bride- 
groom does  not  therefore  forsake  her,  but  looketh 


92       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

upon  His  Bride  from  time  to  time,  because  He  well 
knoweth  that  none  will  or  can  comfort  her,  but  He 
alone. 

And  now  that  you  have  heard  this,  let  it  not 
surprise  you  that  I  have  not  told  you  how  lovingly  the 
Bridegroom  talketh  with  the  Bride.  It  might  well 
happen  that  none  would  believe  me  (except  such  a 
one  as  had  tried  and  tasted  it  himself),  should  I 
tell  you  what  strange  words  the  Bride  saith  to  her 
Bridegroom.  We  find,  too,  in  the  Scriptures,  that 
the  loving  soul  ofttimes  holds  such  converse  with  her 
Beloved  as  words  cannot  perfectly  express.  Nay, 
does  it  not  happen  every  day  with  earthly  lovers, 
that  a  bride  and  bridegroom  talk  together  in  such 
wise  that  if  others  heard  it  they  would  declare  them 
mad  or  drunk  ? 

Now,  dear  children,  I  fear  that  I  have  kept  you 
too  long  ;  but  the  time  has  not  seemed  long  to  me  : 
also,  I  have  said  it  all  for  your  good,  and  could  not 
well  this  time  make  my  sermon  shorter  if  I  were 
rightly  to  explain  my  meaning ;  therefore  receive 
it  kindly. 

That  we  may  all  become  real,  true,  perfect  brides 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  we  may  in  sincere, 
true,  utter  humility  and  resignation,  go  out  to  meet 
our  glorious  Bridegroom,  and  abide  with  Him  for 
ever,  may  God  help  us,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost.     Amen," 


ELEVENTH  CHAPTER 

Of  a  great  prodigy  that  was  wrought  in  certain  persons 
through  this  sermon,  as  afterwards  appeared,  whereby 
we  are  given  to  understand  what  great  wonders  God 
works  by  good  instruments,  that  is,  that  He  will  do 
more  by  one  sermon  of  an  enlightened  man  than 
by  a  hundred  others. 

WHEN  this  sermon  was  ended,  the  Master  went 
down  and  read  Mass,  and  gave  the  Lord's 
Body  to  certain  good  people  ;  but  after  the  sermon 
the  man  perceived  that  some  forty  people  remained 
sitting  in  the  churchyard.  When  Mass  was  over  he 
told  the  Master  of  it,  and  they  went  out  to  where 
he  had  seen  the  people  sitting  that  they  might  see 
how  it  was  with  them.  But  in  the  meantime,  while 
the  Master  had  been  celebrating  Mass,  they  had  risen 
up  and  gone  away,  except  twelve,  who  were  still 
there.  Then  said  the  Master  to  the  man,  "  Dear 
son,  what  dost  thou  think  we  had  best  do  with  these 
people  ?  "  Then  the  man  went  from  one  to  another 
and  touched  them,  but  they  lay  as  if  they  were  dead, 
and  scarcely  moved.  The  Master  knew  not  what  to 
think  of  this  strange  thing,  for  he  had  never  seen  the 
like  before,  and  so  he  said  to  the  man,  "  Tell  me,  what 
dost  thou  think  ?  Are  the  people  alive  or  dead  ?  " 
Then  he  smiled  and  said,  "  If  they  were  dead,  it 
would  be  your  fault  and  the  Bridegroom's  ;  how  then 
should  you  bring  them  round  again  ?  "  The  Master 
said,  "  But  if  the  Bridegroom  be  with  me  in  this 


94       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

business,  ought  I  to  awaken  them  ?  "  The  man 
answered,  "  Sir,  these  people  are  still  in  this  present 
state,  and  I  wish  that  you  would  ask  the  convent 
ladies  to  let  them  be  carried  into  their  cloister,  that 
they  may  not  take  some  sickness  and  harm  to  their 
bodies,  by  lying  in  the  open  air  on  the  cold  earth." 
And  they  did  so  ;  and  the  people  were  brought  into 
a  warm  place.  Then  the  convent  ladies  said,  "  Dear 
sir,  we  have  a  nun  here  to  whom  the  same  thing  has 
happened,  and  she  is  lying  on  her  bed  as  if  she  were 
dead."  Then  said  the  Master,  "  My  dear  daughters, 
be  patient,  for  God's  sake,  and  look  to  these  sick 
people,  and  when  any  one  of  them  comes  to  himself 
give  him  something  warm  to  take  ;  if  he  will  have  it ; 
give  it  him  in  Christ's  name."  And  the  ladies  said 
they  would  willingly  do  so.  So  the  Master  and  the 
man  went  their  way,  and  entered  into  the  Master's 
cell.  Then  the  man  said,  "  Now,  dear  Master,  what 
think  you  of  this  ?  Has  the  like  ever  happened  to 
you  in  your  life  before  ?  Now  I  wot  you  see  what 
wonders  God  works  with  good  tools.  Dear  sir,  I 
perceive  that  this  sermon  will  stir  many,  and  one  will 
tell  it  to  another.  If  it  please  you,  methinks  it  were 
well  that  you  let  these  sick  children  rest  for  awhile, 
for  this  sermon  will  give  them  plenty  to  digest  for 
some  time,  and  if  you  think  it  good,  and  God  give 
you  so  to  do,  that  you  preach  a  sermon  also  to  those 
who  are  in  the  world,  seeing  it  is  now  Lent."  And 
the  Master  did  so  gladly,  and  preached  also  to  those 
who  were  in  the  world,  to  the  great  amendment  of 
certain  of  them.* 

*  Here  follow  two  chapters  in  the  original,  containing  sketches  of 
other  sermons  preached  by  Tauler  ;  but  as  they  are  less  valuable  than 
most  of  his  sermons,  and  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the 
progress  of  the  story,  I  have  'udged  it  best  to  omit  them. — Tr. 


FOURTEENTH  CHAPTER 

How  this  holy  Doctor  came  to  his  end,  and  afterward 
appeared  to  his  dear  friend  the  layman,  and  showed 
him  the  cause  of  his  painful  departure  from  this 
world,  to  wit  that  it  had  been  his  purgatory,  after 
which  he  attained  great  joy  and  eternal  blessedness, 
which  were  given  him  by  God  as  the  reward  of  his 
good  and  faithful  teaching. 

NOW  you  must  know  that  the  Master  made 
progress  in  the  divine  hfe,  and  received 
such  wisdom,  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that 
he  preached  both  to  clergy  and  laity,  and  came  to 
be  held  in  such  esteem  and  honour  throughout  the 
land,  and  also  in  that  city,  that  whenever  the  people 
had  any  weighty  matter  to  transact,  he  was  called  in 
to  settle  it  with  his  wisdom,  whether  it  concerned 
spiritual  or  temporal  affairs,  and  whatever  he  coun- 
selled them  was  right  in  their  eyes,  and  they  hearkened 
imto  him  gladly.  And  after  that  the  Master  had 
led  this  faithful  hfe  full  eight  years,  God  would  not 
leave  His  servant  longer  in  this  earthly  misery,  and 
saw  fit  to  take  him  to  Himself  without  purgatory. 
Wherefore  He  sent  His  judgments  upon  him,  and 
visited  him  with  sickness,  so  that  the  Master  kept 
his  bed  for  more  than  twenty  weeks,  and  his  suffer- 
ings were  very  sore,  and  his  pains  grievous.    Then 


96       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE  ' 

he  perceived,  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that 
he  was  about  to  depart  from  this  world  (God  was 
minded  to  reward  him  for  his  work) ;  wherefore  he 
sent  for  the  man,  his  dear  friend,  and  begged  him  to 
come  to  him,  for  he  expected  not  to  be  much  longer  in 
this  world.  And  the  man  hearkened  and  came  to  the 
Master,  who  received  him  after  a  most  friendly  sort ; 
and  the  man  was  glad  that  he  found  him  yet  alive, 
and  said,  "  Dear  Master,  how  fares  it  with  you  ?  " 
The  Master  said,  "  I  believe  that  the  time  is  very 
near  when  God  purposes  to  take  me  from  this  world, 
for  which  cause,  dear  son,  it  is  a  great  consolation  to 
me  that  thou  art  present  at  my  end.  I  pray  thee 
take  these  books  which  are  lying  there :  thou  wilt 
find  written  therein  all  thy  discourse  with  me  afore- 
time, and  also  my  answers,  and  thou  wilt  find  some- 
what concerning  my  life,  and  the  dealings  of  God 
with  me  His  poor  unworthy  servant.  Dear  son,  if 
thou  think  fit,  and  if  God  give  thee  grace,  make  a 
little  book  of  it."  Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  Master, 
I  have  written  down  five  of  these  sermons,  and  if  it 
please  you,  I  will  write  them  out  also,  and  will  make 
a  Httle  book  about  you,"  Quoth  the  Master,  "  Dear 
son,  I  lay  upon  thee  my  most  solemn  admonition, 
that  thou  write  nothing  about  me,  and  that  thou  do 
not  mention  my  name  ;  for  thou  must  know  that  of  a 
truth  the  life,  and  words,  and  works  which  God  has 
wrought  through  me  a  poor,  unworthy,  sinful  man 
are  not  mine,  but  belong  to  God  Almighty,  now  and 
for  evermore  ;  therefore,  dear  son,  if  thou  wilt  write 
it  down  for  the  profit  of  our  fellow-Christians,  write 
it  so  that  neither  my  name  nor  thine  be  named,  but 
thou  mayst  say  the  Master  and  the  man.  Moreover, 
thou  shalt  not  suffer  the  book  to  be  read  or  seen  by 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND   LIFE       97 

any  one  in  this  town,  lest  he  should  mark  that  it  was 
I,  but  take  it  home  with  thee  to  thy  own  country, 
and  let  it  not  come  out  during  my  life." 

And  for  a  space  of  eleven  days  the  Master  held 
much  discourse  with  the  man.  After  that,  the  time 
came  that  the  Master  should  die.  Then  he  said, 
"  Dear  son,  I  pray  thee,  in  God's  name,  to  give  thy 
consent  to  it,  if  God  should  permit  my  spirit  to  come 
back  to  thee,  and  tell  thee  how  it  fared  with  me." 
The  man  answered,  "  Dear  Master,  if  God  will  have 
it  so,  I  am  also  willing."  But  it  came  to  pass  that  at 
the  last  the  Master  had  a  most  horrible  and  frightful 
death-struggle,  insomuch  that  all  the  brethren  in  the 
convent,  and  also  other  people,  were  greatly  terrified 
and  distressed  thereat,  and  were  sore  amazed  at  the 
dreadful  anguish  that  they  saw  in  his  death. 

Now  when  he  was  dead,  all  who  were  in  the  con- 
vent and  the  city  were  filled  with  sorrow.  But  when 
they  perceived  who  was  the  man  that  had  been  so 
long  his  bosom-friend  in  secret,  they  came  and  desired 
to  show  him  honour,  and  besought  him  to  be  their 
guest.  But  when  he  was  aware  of  their  intent,  he 
fled  that  same  hour  out  of  the  city,  and  travelled 
home  again.  And  as  he  was  on  the  way,  the  third 
day  after  the  Master's  death,  at  nightfall  he  was  pass- 
ing through  a  httle  village  with  his  servant,  and 
seeing  a  nobleman  go  past  along  the  road,  he  said  to 
him,  "  My  friend,  is  there  any  inn  in  this  village  ?  " 
The  nobleman  answered,  "  No."  Then  said  the  man, 
*'  Then  show  us  the  kindness,  dear  friend,  in  God's 
name,  to  let  us  lodge  in  thy  house  for  to-night,  and 
take  for  it  what  thou  wilt."  Then  he  said,  "  If  you 
will  put  up  with  such  things  as  we  have,  I  will  will- 
ingly lodge  you,  and  give  you  the  best  in  my  power." 


98       TAULER'S  HISTORY  AND  LIFE 

So  he  took  him  home  with  him.  When  it  was  night 
he  laid  the  man  upon  a  feather-bed,  and  showed  the 
servant  into  the  barn  to  He  upon  the  straw.  Now  in 
the  night  the  man  awoke  and  heard  a  voice  close  by  ; 
yet  he  saw  no  one.  Then  a  shudder  ran  through 
him,  and  he  made  the  sign  of  the  Cross.  Then  the 
voice  said,  "  Fear  not,  dear  son,  it  is  I,  the  Master." 
Then  said  the  man,  "  Dear  Master,  is  it  you  ?  Then 
I  beseech  you,  with  my  whole  heart,  to  tell  me,  if 
God  will,  how  it  standeth  with  you,  and  how  it  came 
to  pass  that  you  had  such  a  dreadful  end  ;  for  your 
brethren  in  the  convent  were  much  astonied  at  you, 
and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  your  frightful  end  will  be  a 
great  stumbling-block  to  your  own  brethren  in  the 
convent."  Then  said  the  Master's  voice,  "  Dear  son, 
that  will  I  tell  thee.  Thou  must  know  that  our 
Lord  God  saw  fit  to  appoint  me  such  a  hard  death 
in  order  that  the  holy  angels  might  straightway 
receive  my  soul  to  themselves  ;  and  for  the  same 
cause  thou  shalt  also  have  such  a  like  hard  death.  It 
was  needful  that  I  should  suffer  this  as  a  purgatory  ; 
but  know  likewise,  my  dear  son,  that  the  evil  spirits 
tormented  me  greatly,  and  assailed  me  with  such 
cunning  and  instancy,  that  I  was  in  constant  fear 
lest  my  courage  should  fail  me.  But,  however  hard 
my  death  was,  it  was  as  nothing  compared  to  the  joy 
which  the  Almighty,  Eternal,  and  Merciful  God  hath 
given  me  in  return.  Know,  dear  son,  that  the  same 
hour  in  which  my  soul  left  my  body,  the  blessed 
angels  received  it,  and  conducted  me  to  Paradise,  and 
said  to  me,  '  Here  shalt  thou  tarry  five  days,  and 
shalt  know  no  anxiety  or  fear  lest  the  evil  spirits 
should  harm  thee  any  more,  neither  shalt  thou  labour 
any  more,  only  thou  shalt  be  deprived  for  these  five 


TAULER'S   HISTORY  AND  LIFE       99 

days  of  the  blissful  company  of  the  blessed  in  eternity. 
And  then  we  will  come  again  with  joy,  and  bring  thee 
to  the  unspeakable  joys,  and  reward  thee  for  thy 
good  and  faithful  teaching  and  useful  counsels  ;  "  all 
which  I  have  received  by  thy  excellent  instruc- 
tion, for  the  which  I  can  never  thank  God  and  thee 
enough." 

Then  said  the  man  :  "  Dear  Master,  I  beseech  you 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  when  you  come 
into  the  presence  of  God,  you  pray  Him  for  me." 
But  whatever  the  man  said  after  this,  or  whatever 
questions  he  put,  no  one  answered  him  again.  Then 
he  would  fain  have  slept,  and  turned  from  one  side 
to  the  other  ;  but  it  availed  him  nothing  :  he  got  no 
more  rest  that  night,  and  could  hardly  wait  till  it  was 
light.  And  at  daybreak  he  rose  up,  and  wrote  that 
same  hour  word  to  the  Prior  and  brethren  of  all 
things  that  the  spirit  had  said  to  him,  and  returned 
to  his  own  house,  and  came  also  to  a  good  and 
blessed  end. 

That  we  may  all  follow  the  pattern  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  insomuch  that  after  this  miserable  hfe 
and  this  transitory  world  we  may  come  to  eternal 
and  never-ending  joys, — to  God  and  His  chosen  and 
beloved  friends,  may  He  help  us,  God  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen  ! 

Here  endeth  the  History  of  the  Life  of  the  enlightened 
Doctor  John  Tauter. 


Introductory  Notice 

respecting 

Tauler's  Life  and  Times 

By  the  Translator. 

JOHN  TAULER,  who  appears  as  "  the  Master  " 
in  the  foregoing  History,  was  bom  at  Strasburg 
in  the  year  1290.  His  father  was  most  probably 
Nicolas  Tauler,  whose  name  occurs  among  those  of 
the  senators  of  Strasburg  in  1313.  At  all  events,  he 
belonged  to  a  tolerably  wealthy  family,  and  might 
have  lived  on  his  patrimony,  since  he  tells  us  in  one 
of  his  sermons  :  "  Had  I  known  when  I  lived  as  my 
father's  son,  all  that  I  know  now,  I  would  have  Hved 
on  his  heritage  and  not  upon  alms."  He  devoted 
himself,  however,  in  early  years  to  a  clerical  life,  and 
entered  the  Dominican  Order  in  Strasburg,  taking  up 
his  abode  in  the  handsome,  spacious  convent  belong- 
ing to  that  Order,  the  church  of  which  was  conse- 
crated in  the  year  1308.  A  sister  of  his  was  a  nun  in 
the  convent  of  St.  Nicolas  at  Krautenau,  likewise 
belonging  to  the  Dominican  Order.  In  what  year 
Tauler  renounced  the  world  cannot  be  determined 
with  precision,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he 
did  so  at  the  same  time  with  his  friend  John  von 
Dambach,  in  1308.    From  allusions  in  his  writings, 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  PARIS        loi 

it  seems  probable  that  he  soon  after,  with  the  same 
friend,  betook  himself  to  Paris,  the  great  metropolis 
of  Christian  learning  in  that  age,  in  order  to  study 
theology  in  the  famous  Dominican  College  of  St. 
Jacques,  from  which  the  monks  of  that  Order  were 
called  Jacobins  in  France. 

The  University  concentrated  within  its  precincts 
representatives  of  the  varied  intellectual  tendencies 
of  the  age.  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, it  had  been  distinguished  by  the  freedom  of 
thought  which  prevailed  among  its  teachers,  un- 
shackled as  they  were  by  any  episcopal,  almost 
by  any  regal  jurisdiction  over  their  doctrine,  and 
acknowledging  only  the  authority  of  the  Pope 
himself,  directly  exercised.  The  influence  of  the 
all-questioning  Abelard,  the  subtle  Gilbert  de  la 
Poree,  the  pantheistic  Amaury  de  Bene,  and  other 
free-thinking  teachers,  was  not  extinct,  though  they 
lay  under  the  censure  of  heresy.  The  works  of 
Aristotle,  condemned  in  1209,  had  been  gradually 
introduced  into  the  schools,  with  the  Arabian  com- 
mentaries of  Avicenna  and  Averrhoes.  The  Domini- 
can Order,  founded  for  the  extirpation  of  heresy, 
early  recognised  the  prime  necessity  of  providing 
instruction  which  should  purify  the  streams  of  human 
thought  at  their  fountain-head  ;  and  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  raised  by  the  heads  of  the  University, 
succeeded,  in  1228,  in  establishing  theological  chairs 
in  their  convent  in  Paris,  from  which  to  combat  the 
heathenising  philosophers  of  Christendom  with  their 
own  weapons  of  reason  ;  and  in  Albert  the  Great,  and 
Thomas  Aquinas  they  may  be  said  to  have  recon- 
quered philosophy  for  the  Church,  and  Christianised 
Aristotle,  who  thenceforth  became  the  established 


102        TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

master  of  philosophy,  but  was  studied  through  the 
commentaries  of  the  great  Dominican  luminary. 

But  the  colossal  volumes  of  the  schoolmen,  embrac- 
ing as  they  did  within  the  vast  sweep  of  their  specula- 
tion disquisitions  upon  the  nature  of  the  Godhead, 
upon  the  universe  of  superhuman  intelligence 
revealed  by  the  pseudo-Dionysius,  and  upon  the 
nature  of  man  and  matter,  —  while  affording  a 
tremendous  gymnastic  discipline  to  the  human 
intellect,  were  barren  in  actual  practical  results, 
and  might  well  be  unsatisfactory  to  one  whose  soul 
craved  to  be  something  more  than  a  logical  athlete. 
And  it  is  evident  that,  in  his  later  life,  Tauler  did  not 
look  back  upon  the  scholastic  theology  which  he 
studied  during  his  sojourn  in  Paris  as  having  taught 
him  that  which  answered  to  the  needs  of  his  spirit. 
Thus,  in  one  passage  of  his  sermons  he  says  :  "  These 
great  masters  of  Paris  do  read  vast  books,  and  turn 
over  the  leaves  with  great  diligence,  which  is  a  very 
good  thing  ;  but  these  [spiritually  enlightened  men] 
read  the  true  living  book,  wherein  all  things  live  : 
they  turn  over  the  pages  of  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  and  read  therein  the  mighty  and  admirable 
wonders  of  God."  He  seldom  cites  any  of  the  school- 
men in  his  writings,  with  the  exception  of  "  Master 
Thomas  ;  "  but  he  not  unfrequently  refers  to  Aris- 
totle, under  the  title  of  the  "  Natural  Master,"  or 
the  "  Master  of  Nature."  The  authors  who  seem 
to  have  had  the  greatest  attraction  for  him,  and 
whom  he  must  have  early  made  the  subject  of  his 
study,  judging  from  the  acquaintance  with  them 
displayed  in  his  writings,  and  the  little  leisure  which 
he  could  have  had  for  such  pursuits  during  the 
busy  activity  of  his  later   years,  were  the   more 


THE  SCHOOLMEN  103 

mystical  and  speculative  among  the  ecclesiastical 
writers,  the  pseudo-Dionysius,  the  Monks  of  the 
school  of  St.  Victor,  St.  Bernard,  and  above  all  St. 
Augustine.  Neither  was  he  a  stranger  to  the  Neo- 
platonists,— Proclus  is  referred  to  several  times  m 
his  writings. 

While  the  whole  bent  of  Tauler's  mmd  thus 
appears  to  have  disposed  him  to  contemplation  on 
the  great  spiritual  questions  immediately  affecting 
man's  actual  destiny,  rather  than  more  purely  in- 
tellectual theses,  he  must,  on  returning  from  Paris  to 
Strasburg,  have  come  in  contact  with  several  of  the 
mystical  teachers  whom  we  know  to  have  flourished 
there  about  this  time,  and  who  certainly  cannot 
have  been  without  influence  on  the  course  of  his 
mental  development.  The  most  eminent  of  these 
was  the  celebrated  Master  Eckart,  a  brother  of  his 
own  Order,  who,  after  having  filled  the  important 
offices  of  Provincial  in  Saxony  and  Vicar-General 
in  Bohemia,  had  returned  to  Strasburg,  where,  with 
the  earnestness  of  profound  conviction,  he  was  now 
discoursing  to  the  people  in  their  narive  tongue,  on 
lofty  philosophical  themes,  till  then  only  deemed 
fit  to  be  treated  of  in  Latin  before  learned  assembhes  ; 
and  which  he  handled  in  a  way  that  he  himself  con- 
fesses to  be  contrary  to  what  any  of  the  Masters  had 
taught  hitherto.  Yet  it  is  clear,  from  the  accusations 
afterwards  brought  against  him  of  misleading  the 
vulgar,  that  the  metaphysical  speculations  which 
form  the  staple  of  his  sermons,  though  they  would 
seem  to  us  utteriy  beyond  the  range  of  ordinary 
thinkers,  must  have  touched  some  chords  in  the 
hearts  of  the  muUitude,  expressed  as  they  are,  not 
only  in  a  sharp,  clear,  forcible  style,  but  often  clothed 


104       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

in  a  thoroughly  popular  form,  and  illustrated  by 
metaphors  appealing  to  the  eye,  and  allegorical  inter- 
pretations of  Scripture  histories.* 

The  man  himself  and  his  doctrines  were  equally 
calculated  to  make  a  powerful  impression  on  the  mind 
of  the  youthful  Tauler,  already  dissatisfied  with  the 
frigid  subtleties  of  the  dialecticians,  and  arriving  at 
an  age  when  he  was  called  on  to  exercise  his  vocation 
as  a  preaching  friar  in  times  of  extraordinary  com- 
motion and  perplexity. 

Eckart's  keen  and  soaring  intellect  had  been 
trained  by  a  close  study  of  the  Fathers  and  the 
Schoolmen  before  he  became  a  professor  in  the  con- 
vent at  St.  Jacques  at  Paris,  in  which  position  he 
soon  acquired  no  ordinary  fame  ;  being  esteemed 
(according  to  the  statement  of  the  Abbot  Trithemius 
in  his  great  encyclopaedia  of  ecclesiastical  writers) 
"  the  most  learned  man  of  his  day  in  the  Aristotelian 
philosophy."  The  vivid  remembrance  of  such  a 
master  would  be  still  lingering  in  the  hearts  of  many 
pupils  when  Tauler  came  to  Paris  ;  though  Eckart 
himself  must  have  quitted  his  professorship  some 
years  before,  as,  on  account  of  the  severity  of  his 
morals  and  the  firmness  of  his  character,  he  was 

*  I  borrow  the  following  note  from  Schmidt's  "^c/^^r/."  Theolog. 
Stud.  u.  Krit.  1839,  S.  684,  An.  15.  "The  raising  of  the  widow's  son 
furnishes  him  with  materials  for  more  than  one  allegory.  In  the  Second 
Sermon  on  the  Sixteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity,  the  widow  is  first  the 
soul,  and  her  dead  son,  the  Reason,  which  our  Lord  animates  with  new 
life  ;  afterwards  a  widow  signifies  a  forsaken  one,  and  taken  in  an 
abstract  sense,  a  state  of  loneliness,  and  forthwith  Eckart  springs  to 
the  conclusion,  that  therefore  we  also  must  forsake  all  things.  In  the 
story  of  the  woman  of  Samaria,  the  woman  is  a  type  of  the  soul,  the 
five  husbands  whom  she  has  had  are  the  five  senses  ;  with  these  she  had 
sinned,  and  therefore  are  they  dead.  Christ  says  :  *  Bring  hither  thy 
husband  ; '  this  is  Free-will.  She  replies  ;  '  I  have  no  husband  ; '  on 
which  Christ  says  :  '  Thou  hast  well  said  I  have  no  husband  ; '  that  is, 
her  Free-will  was  not  her  own,  but  in  bondage  to  sin,  etc." 


ECKARTS  DOCTRINES  105 

appointed,    in    1304,    Provincial    of    the    Domini- 
can  Order   in    Saxony,   where    he    laboured   with 
such  success  in  the  restoration  of  discipUne,  that 
three  years   later   he  was  made  Vicar-General  of 
Saxony,  with  the  express  commission  to  undertake 
any  improvements  and  reforms  in  the  Order  that 
he  might  judge  necessary.     In  this  new  sphere  of 
action,  likewise,  he  soon  became  celebrated  as  a 
preacher  and  metaphysical  teacher.    From  this  date, 
when  he  was  held   in   reverence  by  the    Church, 
he  disappears  from  our  view  for  a  space  of  some 
years  ;  after  which  we  find  him  in  Strasburg,  divested 
of  his  dignities,  but  preaching  with  great  effect  his 
pecuHar  doctrines,  now  in  his  mature  life  elaborated 
into  a  system  which  has  been  claimed  by  Hegel  and 
some  of  his  disciples  as  the  parent  of  the  German 
philosophy.*     To  say  whether  this   claim  is  just 
would  require  a  knowledge  of  Hegel  and  his  school, 
which  I  do  not  possess. f    That  which  was  the  aim 
of  all  Eckart's  reasonings,  to  which  all  else  was  but 
a  means,  was  the  perfect  repose  of  a  spirit  in  absolute 
union  with  God,  and  dweUing  in  a  region  far  above 
the  clouds  and  tempests  of  this  changeful,  barren  hfe 
of  sense.     He  himself  appears  to  have  attained  in  a 
high  degree  to  this  state  of  abiding  peace  ;  yet  his 
writings  are  pervaded  by  a  strain  of  deep  lamenta- 
tion over  the  imperfections  of  this  earthly  sphere, 
and  the  misery  arising  from  a  sense  of  separation 
from  God.     In  fact,  he  certainly  retains  a  positive 
and  vivid  sense  of  the  nature  of  sin  ;  whether  this 
be  consistent  with   Pantheism   or   Hegelianism,   I 

*  See  Schmidt's  Eckart.  Thfol.  Stud.  u.  Krit.  1839,  S.  663. 

t  Neither  is  my  acquaintance  with  Eckart  extensive  ;  but  I  have 
made  no  statement  in  the  text  which  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  substan- 
tiated by  what  I  have  read  of  his  wntmgs. 


io6       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

leave  those  better  qualified  to  judge.  In  the  passion- 
ate endeavour  to  free  himself  from  the  entanglements 
of  the  creature,  and  to  enter  into  living  union  with 
God,  he,  however,  undoubtedly  does  not  escape  the 
danger  of  merging  created  existence  in  the  one  un- 
created Essence  which  alone  has  true  Being,  and 
forgetting  the  limits  that  bar  our  approach  to  the 
Infinite.  Thus  he  says  :  "  That  word,  I  am,  can 
none  truly  speak  but  God  alone."  "  He  has  the  Sub- 
stance of  aU  creatures  in  Himself ;  He  is  a  being  that 
has  all  Being  in  Himself."  "  All  things  are  in  God, 
and  all  things  are  God."  "  All  creatures  in  them- 
selves are  naught;  all  creatures  are  a  speaking  of 
God."  "  Dost  thou  ask  me  what  was  the  purpose 
of  the  Creator  when  He  made  the  creatures  ?  I 
answer,  Repose.  Dost  thou  ask  again  what  all 
creatures  seek  in  their  spontaneous  aspiration  ?  I 
answer  again.  Repose.  Dost  thou  ask  a  third  time 
what  the  soul  seeks  in  all  her  motions  ?  I  answer, 
Repose.  Consciously  or  unconsciously  all  creatures 
seek  their  proper  state.  The  stone  cannot  cease 
moving  till  it  touch  the  earth ;  the  fire  rises  up  to 
heaven  :  thus  a  loving  soul  can  never  rest  but  in  God, 
and  so  we  say  God  has  given  to  all  things  their  proper 
place, — to  the  fish  the  water,  to  the  bird  the  air,  to 
the  beast  the  earth,  to  the  soul  the  Godhead." 
"  Simple  people  conceive  that  we  are  to  see  God,  as 
if  He  stood  on  that  side  and  we  on  this.  It  is  not  so  ; 
God  and  I  are  one  in  the  act  of  my  perceiving  Him." 
"  O  noble  soul,  put  on  these  wings  to  thy  feet  and 
rise  above  all  creatures,  and  above  thine  own  reason, 
and  above  the  angelic  choirs,  and  above  the  light  that 
has  given  thee  strength,  and  throw  thyself  upon  the 
heart  of  God  ;  there  shalt  thou  lie  hidden  from  all 


ECKARTS   CHARACTER  107 

creatures."  But  if,  in  thus  denying  a  separate 
existence  to  the  creature,  he  uses  expressions  which 
logically  conduct  to  Pantheism,  on  the  other  hand 
his  God  is  clearly  a  living  God  ;  not  a  mere  object 
of  philosophical  thought,  but  an  actual  and  working 
reality.*  So,  again,  some  of  his  expressions  might 
seem  to  imply  Antinomianism,  as  when  he  says  : 
"  Whenever  a  man  enters  into  this  union  with  God, 
that  God  is  so  dear  to  him  that  he  forgets  himself, 
nor  seeks  himself  either  in  time  or  in  eternity,  so  oft 
does  he  become  free  from  all  his  sins  and  all  his 
purgatory,  though  he  should  have  committed  all  the 
sins  of  all  mankind  :  "  and  we  can  hardly  doubt,  from 
what  we  read  of  the  Brethren  of  the  Free  Spirit,  that 
some  did  abuse  Eckart's  doctrine  of  the  inward 
freedom  of  the  spirit  to  justify  sin  in  pretenders  to 
piety.  But  it  does  not  seem  that  even  his  enemies 
ever  doubted  of  his  own  high  morality ;  while 
Qu6tif  and  Echard,  in  their  Scriptores  ordinis 
Prcedicatorum,  praise  him  as  a  virum  morihus  et 
scientia  probatissimum,  omni  laude  superiorem,  and 
add  that  a  hundred  years  after  him  a  brother 
of  his  Order  says  of  him,  that  he  was  vita 
ptirissimus,  expeditus  Doctor  Ecclesice,  sua  tempore 
incomparahilis  eruditione,  fide,  conversatione  et  morihus 
insignis. 

Eckart  always  endeavours  to  bring  his  specula- 
tions into  combination  with  the  theology  of  the 
Church ;  but  the  interpretation  which  he  puts  upon 
the  received  dogmas  often  deviates  widely  from  their 


♦  The  second  Sermon  in  the  following  collection,  which  is  undoubtedly 
by  him,  exhibits  the  mode  in  which  he  presents  abstract  doctrines 
clothed  in  a  popular  form,  and  is  not  an  unfavourable  specimen  of  his 
style,  though  even  more  fragmentary  than  some  others  of  his  discourses. 


io8       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

spirit.*  He  evidently  regards,  nay,  openly  proclaims 
outward  rites  and  observances  as  not  necessary  to 
the  essence  of  piety.  Traces  of  his  familiarity  with 
the  Schoolmen  may  be  found  in  his  subtile  and  often 
purely  formal  distinctions  and  syllogisms ;  but  their 
spirit  was  utterly  repugnant  to  his.  On  this  point 
Professor  Schmidt  says  : — "  Regarding  Neoplatonism 
as  by  no  means  incompatible  with  Christianity,  his 
philosophical  views  resemble  in  their  general  tend- 
ency those  of  Dionysius  Areopagita,  combining 
with  them  the  mystical  elements  contained  in  the 
writings  of  St.  Augustine.  The  theory  of  that  great 
Father  respecting  the  total  corruption  of  human 
nature  does  not,  however,  occur  in  his  writings  in  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  understood  by  the  Church.  With 
Plato  himself  he  is  not  unacquainted,  but  cites  him 
several  times,  calling  him  '  the  great  Parson '  {Der 
grosse  Pfaffe).  Scotus  Erigena,  the  translator  of  the 
Platonizing  Dionysius,  though  not  named  in  his 
writings,  must  be  regarded  as  furnishing  the  starting 
point  for  his  theories.  Of  the  other  mystics  of  the 
middle  ages  he  only  names  St.  Bernard.  But  he  has 
not  rested  within  the  systems  advanced  by  any  of 

*  He  was,  for  instance,  accused  of  teaching  that  Hell  did  not  exist : 
his  real  teaching  was  that  it  consisted  in  the  absence  of  God,  as  appears 
from  the  following  passage: — "It  is  a  question,  what  burns  in  hell? 
The  Masters  commonly  say,  Self-will.  But  I  say  of  a  truth  that 
Nought  burns  in  hell.  Whereof  mark  this  likeness.  Were  you  to  take 
a  burning  coal  and  lay  it  on  my  hand,  if  I  were  to  say  that  the  coal 
burnt  my  hand  I  should  do  it  a  great  injustice.  Strictly  speaking,  what 
burns  me  is  Nought ;  for  the  coal  has  something  in  it  which  my  hand 
has  not.  See,  it  is  that  same  Not  which  burns  me.  If  my  hand 
possessed  all  the  essence  and  qualities  of  a  coal,  it  would  have  altogether 
the  nature  of  fire  ;  and  then,  if  you  were  to  throw  all  the  fire  that  ever 
burnt  upon  my  hand,  it  would  not  give  me  pain.  In  like  manner,  I  say, 
if  God,  and  those  who  are  in  the  light  of  His  countenance,  have  aught 
of  true  blessedness  which  those  have  not  who  are  separated  from  God, 
it  is  that  same  Not  which  tortures  the  souls  that  are  in  hell,  more  than 
any  fire  or  than  self-will." 


ECKARTS  CONDEMNATION  109 

the  philosophers  he  studied ;  he  made  all  the  ideas 
that  he  may  have  derived  from  them  his  own,  and 
gave  them  a  further  development,  so  that  his  position 
is  that  of  a  thoroughly  original  thinker." 
[  After  preaching  some  time  in  Strasburg,  Eckart 
appears  to  have  removed  to  Cologne.  It  is  not 
known  whether  or  not  he  had  found  it  necessary  to 
leave  the  former  city ;  but  it  seems  not  improbable 
that  he  may  have  fallen  under  accusation  of  heresy 
there,  from  the  circumstance  that  many  of  the 
propositions  condemned,  by  the  Bishop  (John  of 
Ochsenstein)  in  13 17,  as  the  doctrines  of  the  Stras- 
burg Beghards,  agree,  often  word  for  word,  with 
propositions  to  be  found  in  Eckart' s  writings.  In 
Cologne  he  preached  pubhcly  for  a  few  years  in  the 
church  of  his  convent,  and  taught  in  the  university  ; 
but  he  was  not  suffered  to  remain  long  unmolested. 
The  way  in  which  his  writings  were  used  by  the 
Beghards,  who  were  condemned  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Cologne  in  1322,  appears  to  have  drawn  the 
attention  of  the  latter  to  his  preaching.  He  cited 
Eckart  to  appear  before  him,  and  accused  him  of 
heresy ;  but  as  Eckart  refused  to  submit  to  his 
sentence,  and  continued  to  preach,  the  Archbishop 
appealed  to  the  Pope.  His  writings  were  at  length 
condemned  in  a  bull  dated  March  1329,  from  which 
it  appears  that  he  was  then  no  more,  as  it  is 
stated  that  he  had  returned  to  the  Cathohc  faith 
before  his  death.  It  seems  utterly  inconsistent 
with  the  deep  conviction  that  pervades  his  writings, 
and  the  infiexibihty  of  his  character,  to  suppose  that 
he  should  have  recanted  any  of  his  doctrines;  but 
probably  he  merely  expressed  his  adherence  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Church,  which  he  never  seems  to 


no       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

have  intended  to  impugn,  but  to  place  upon  what 
he  regarded  as  their  true  foundation.  He  never 
separated  from  the  communion  of  the  Church,  and 
gathered  round  him  in  Cologne  a  circle  of  ardent 
admirers,  among  whom  was  probably  Tauler*  (who 
seems  to  have  often  visited  Cologne),  and  certainly 
Suso,  whose  biographer  relates  :  "  After  these  dread- 
ful sufferings  (of  conscience)  had  lasted  near  upon 
ten  years,  ...  he  came  to  the  holy  Master  Eckart, 
and  told  him  of  his  pain,  .  .  .  and  the  Doctor 
helped  him  out  of  it."t 

Tauler's  influence  upon  his  countrymen  has  been 
so  much  more  powerful  and  enduring  than  that  of 
Eckart,  that  he  has  often  been  called  erroneously 
the  first  of  the  German  Mystics,  and  Eckart  repre- 
sented as  his  pupil.  While,  however,  in  his  general 
cast  of  thought  and  language,  Tauler  bears  traces 
of  Eckart's  influence,  his  views  do  not  appear  at  any 
period  to  have  been  identical  with  those  of  his  fore- 
runner. Though  inclined  to  speculation,  his  whole 
turn  of  mind  and  character  was  more  practical  than 
that  of  Eckart,  and  his  attention  more  directed  to 
the  appHcation  of  religious  principles  to  real  life. 
Even  the  sermon  which,  as  we  have  read,  he  preached 
before  the  remarkable  change  wrought  in  him 
through  the  agency  of  the  great  Layman,  though 
displaying  more  formality  and  subtlety  with 
less  of  tenderness,  unction,  and  spirituality  than 
generally  characterize  his  later  sermons,  is  yet  far 

*  Tauler  quotes  Eckart.  See  the  Second  Sermon  for  the  Thirteenth 
Sunday  after  Trinity. 

t  See  Diepenbrock's  Suso.  Regensburg,  1829.  S.  71.  A  very 
interesting  account  of  Suso's  life,  concerning  which  much  more  is 
known  than  of  Tauler's,  is  given  in  Ullmann's  "  Reformers  before  the 
Reformation."     See  p.  190,  etc. 


NICOLAS  OF  STRASBURG  iii 

less  abstruse  and  metaphysical,  and  has  far  more 
bearing  upon  morals  and  Hfe,  than  is  the  case  with 
Eckart's  discourses. 

There  was,  however,  another  famous  Dominican 
preacher  at  Strasburg,  in  Tauler's  youthful  days, 
Nicolas  of  Strasburg,  who  though  also  a  mystic,  and 
possessing  a  very  powerful  intellect,  was  a  man  of  a 
very  different  stamp  from  Eckart,  and  who  appears 
to  have  always  stood  in  high  favour  with  the  heads 
of  the  Church.  He  was  the  author  of  several  works, 
and  was  appointed  by  Pope  John  XXII.  Nuncio, 
with  the  oversight  of  all  the  Dominican  convents  in 
the  province  of  Germany.  I  have  not  had  the 
opportunity  of  reading  any  of  his  productions ; 
Professor  Schmidt  describes  his  preaching  as  less 
speculative  and  much  more  popular,  intelligible, 
and  practical  than  Eckart's,  and  says  that  "  his 
sermons  are  rather  mystical  and  ascetic  than,  strictly 
speaking,  metaphysical ;  they  breathe  a  profound 
yearning  after  inward  peace  and  a  glowing  love  to 
God,  but  do  not  display  an  intellect  so  lofty  as  that 
of  the  great  mystic."  That  he  was,  however,  a  man 
of  extraordinary  learning  is  evinced  by  a  work  which 
he  wrote  on  the  coming  of  Anti-Christ,  and  the  second 
Advent  of  Our  Lord,  in  order  to  prove  that  the 
numerous  legends  and  prophecies  current  in  that 
age,  as  in  all  times  of  great  calamity  and  mighty 
convulsions,  were  unworthy  of  credit,  and  that 
nothing  positive  was  to  be  learnt  from  Holy  Scripture 
respecting  the  date  of  future  events.* 

*  In  the  first  part  of  this  treatise  he  cites  authorities  from  the  heathen 
authors  to  prove  the  truth  of  Christianity  to  those  who  rejected  the  Old 
Testament  with  the  New.  In  the  second,  he  reviews  the  writings  of  the 
Jews,  and  refutes  their  doctrines  where  they  are  at  variance  with  Chris- 
tianity. The  third,  de  Anti-  Christo  ac  fine  mundi,  contains  extracts  from 


112       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

There  were  many  other  mystics  in  Strasburg  at 
this  date,  of  whom  nothing  is  known  beyond  their 
names,  but  this  very  fact  is  sufficient  to  prove  the 
wide  diffusion  of  such  doctrines  in  that  city.     The 
same  phenomenon  also  meets  us  in  a  heretical  guise, 
among  the  fanatical  Beghards  who  since  the  close 
of  the  thirteenth   century  had  filled  the  Rhenish 
provinces  with  their  doctrines  of  the  absolute  freedom 
of  the  spirit,  and  the  abolition  of  all  distinctions 
between  the  Creator  and  the  creature.     They  were 
denominated  (most  likely  by  the  title  of  their  own 
choosing)  the  Brethren  and  Sisters  of  the  Free  Spirit, 
and  made  proselytes  equally  among  the  laity  and 
clergy.     In  the  year  13 17,  Bishop  Ochsenstein  com- 
plains that  Alsace  was  full  of  them,  and  in  a  circular 
to  the  clergy  of  his  diocese,  he  condemns  the  mystical 
and  pantheistic  doctrines  of  this  sect,  whose  members 
were  given  over  to  the  secular  authorities,  and  by 
them    apparently    punished    with    imprisonment. 
Whether  or  no  Eckart  was  connected  with  them, 
they  do  not  seem  to  have  exercised  any  influence 
upon  Tauler ;    for   in   his   sermons   he   repeatedly 
inveighs  against  "  The  Free  Spirits,"  who  he  says, 
"  striving  after  a  false  freedom,  and  on  pretext  of 
following  the  inward  light,  follow  only  the  inclin- 
ations of  their  own  nature." 

'  But  besides  the  Beghards,  there  were  still  linger- 
ing in  Southern  Germany  and  Italy,  remains  of  the 
Albigenses  and  Waldenses  and  Manichean  Cathari, 
— reverers  of  the  Abbot  Joachim's  Eternal  Gospel 

the  prophecies  of  Hildegard,  Joachim,  and  other  media:val  pseudo- 
seers,  which  he  treats  with  contempt.  The  whole  treatise  exhibits  a 
vast  amount  of  reading  in  the  ancient  classics,  as  well  as  the  Christian 
and  Jewish  writers  of  the  Middle  Ages.  This  work  was  dedicated  to 
Pope  John  XXII. 


THE  MENDICANT  ORDERS        113 

of  the  Holy  Ghost  (that  was  to  overthrow  the  Gospel 
of  the  Son),— beUevers  in  the  visions  of  the  Prophetess 
Hildegard,— adherents  of  the  revolutionary  Oliva 
and  Fra  Dolcino.  There  were,  indeed,  many  reasons 
why  heresies  and  rehgious  divisions  should  abound 
in  these  regions  at  this  period.  Not  only  was  the 
German  Empire,  as  we  shall  soon  see,  torn  by  pohti- 
cal  dissensions,  which  in  many  ways  were  inter- 
woven with  the  religious  controversies  then  afloat, 
but  there  was  variance  between  the  heads  of  the 
Church  and  its  most  efficient  servants, — the  devoted, 
hard-working,  enthusiastic  Franciscans.  The  two 
Mendicant  Orders  were  formed  to  reclaim  for  the 
Papacy  her  empire  over  the  human  mind,  which 
in  the  twelfth  century  was  threatened  on  the  one 
hand  by  the  moral  purity  and  elevation  of  the 
Albigenses,  who  almost  occupied  the  fairest  provinces 
of  France,  on  the  other  by  the  learning  and  civihsa- 
tion  no  less  than  the  arms  of  the  Mahometan  infidels  ; 
and  faithfully  had  they  accomplished  their  vocation, 
by  turns  refuting  heretics  by  their  learning  or  dazz- 
ling them  by  miracles,  outshining  them  in  ascetic 
purity,  crushing  them  by  the  Inquisition,  or  winning 
them  by  self-devoted  charity.  While  the  higher 
ecclesiastics,  above  all  the  Papal  court,  were  enor- 
mously wealthy,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  absorbed 
in  secular  objects  and  pleasures, — the  parochial 
clergy  likewise  often  worldly  and  vicious,  generally 
ignorant  and  inert,— the  wandering  friars  came 
among  the  neglected  flocks,  roused  them  from  the 
sleep  of  sin,  reclaimed  the  vicious,  convinced  the 
scoffer,  brought  hope  to  the  wretched,  consolation 
to  the  sick  and  dying  ;  and,  as  a  natural  result,  the 
people  were  eager  to  express  their  gratitude  by 
Ü 


114       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

placing  their  property  in  the  hands  of  the  Order 
which  had  shown  such  zeal  for  their  souls.  And  thus, 
though  forbidden  by  their  original  constitution  to 
hold  property,  in  a  few  years  the  amount  of  wealth 
which  they  accumulated  from  the  bequests  of  the 
dying  was  so  large  as  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the 
regular  clergy,  already  irritated  by  the  friars' 
denunciation  of  worldhness,  and  the  tacit  censure 
of  themselves  implied  in  the  ascetic  lives  and  burn- 
ing zeal  of  their  rivals,  and  they  repeatedly  demanded 
the  suppression  of  the  two  Orders. 

But  within  the  Orders  themselves  had  soon  sprung 
up  the  old  strife  and  division  that  seems  to  threaten 
the  life  of  all  spiritual  organizations  in  the  second 
generation,  arising  from  the  innate 'antagonism 
between  the  self-indulgence,  prudence,"and  acquisi- 
tiveness inherent  in  human  nature,  and  the  pure  but 
unreasoning  spiritual  impulses  to  which  they  have 
owed  their  existence.  The  Dominicans,  with  their 
characteristic  address,  retained  the  conflicting  ele- 
ments within  their  own  bosom,  and  equally  availed 
themselves  of  fervent  piety  or  worldly  power.  The 
Franciscans,  more  enthusiastic  and  less  far-sighted, 
divided  into  two  parties, — those  who  consented  to 
hold  property  in  trust  for  the  See  of  Rome,  and  those 
termed  Spiritual  Franciscans,  who  adhered  rigidly 
to  the  literal  interpretation  of  their  rule  of  absolute 
poverty.  From  the  latter  sprang  numerous  spiritual 
and  mystical  sects,  differing  in  their  tenets,  but  all 
coinciding  in  their  fervid  faith  and  their  inculcation 
of  poverty  and  asceticism,  all  democratic  as  regarded 
hierarchical  authority,  and  many  involving  all  the 
wealthy  and  noble  in  their  hatred  to  wealth  and 
power.    Doctrines  of  this  kind  were  indeed  sure  to 


THE  FRANCISCANS  115 

find  acceptance  among  the  oppressed  serfs  and 
lower  classes  in  general ;  and  by  their  very  essence 
the  Franciscans  had  entirely  cast  in  their  lot  with 
the  people.  Among  these  sects  the  Fraticelli,  who 
flourished  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  foretold 
the  overthrow  of  the  corrupt  and  carnal  Papacy,  and 
the  establishment  of  a  spiritual  kingdom  ruled  over 
by  "  the  Perfect."  The  eremitical  Coelestines,  the 
charitable  Beguines,  who  originally  devoted  them- 
selves to  works  of  mercy,  the  devotional  Lollards, 
nay,  probably  the  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Free 
Spirit,  seem  also  to  have  been  offshoots  from  these 
Spiritual  Franciscans. 

The  Pope  now  ruling  had,  however,  put  himself  in 
opposition  with  those  of  the  Spiritual  party  who 
remained  within  the  bounds  of  their  Order,  and  were 
guilty  of  no  heresy  but  that  of  asserting  the  absolute 
poverty  of  Christ  and  His  Apostles.  He  deposed  the 
General  of  the  Order,  and  caused  the  inmates  of  many 
convents  to  be  persecuted  for  maintaining  a  doctrine 
which  struck  at  the  root  of  the  Papal  authority.  In 
return,  they  boldly  denounced  the  Pope  as  a  heretic, 
and  became  important  auxiUaries  to  the  Emperor 
Louis  IV.  in  that  long  struggle  which  occupies  the 
period  we  are  considering.  They  found  powerful 
coadjutors  in  the  profoundly  learned  and  able 
politicians, — William  of  Ockham  and  Marsilio  of 
Padua,  whose  writings  taught  men  to  investigate 
the  origin  of  the  Papal  power.  But  not  only  from 
the  princes  with  whom  the  Pope  interfered,  and  the 
miserable  populace  whose  passions  were  at  the  mercy 
of  fanatical  preachers  or  demagogues ;  from  the 
burghers  in  the  cities  there  also  arose  a  strenuous 
opposition  to  the  outrageous  claims  and  the  arbitrary 


ii6       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

tyranny  of  the  hierarchy.  This  class  had  long  been 
rising  in  wealth  and  importance  ;  and  in  the  earlier 
half  of  this  fourteenth  century  they  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  share  of  the  government  in  nearly  all 
the  chief  cities  of  Germany  ;  and  the  men  who  had 
emancipated  themselves  from  the  temporal  rule  of 
the  Bishop  and  his  aristocracy,  and  were  rejoicing 
in  the  fresh  air  of  freedom  and  the  sense  of  manhood, 
were  not  inclined  to  follow  any  longer  blindly  and 
unquestioningly  their  spiritual  masters. 

With  the  double  election  of  Frederic  of  Austria 
and  Louis  of  Bavaria,  who  were  both  crowned  on 
the  25th  of  November  13 14,  at  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
began  a  desolating  warfare,  which  lasted  for  eight 
years,  till  the  Battle  of  Muehldorf  in  1322  left  Frederic 
a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  Louis.  Strasburg  was 
divided  between  the  rival  Emperors.  The  Bishop 
and  the  important  family  of  the  Zorn  were  adherents 
of  Frederic ;  but  the  no  less  important  family  of  the 
Muellenheim  declared  for  Louis  ;  and  the  latter  had 
the  greater  part  of  the  citizens  on  their  side.  Thus, 
when  Frederic  ascended  the  Rhine  and  arrived  in 
Strasburg  in  January  13 15,  he  was  not  received  as 
their  sovereign  by  the  citizens,  but  merely  treated  as 
an  illustrious  guest ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Bishop  and  clergy  paid  him  regal  honours,  which 
procured  them  various  proofs  of  his  favour.  Louis, 
on  hearing  in  his  camp  at  Spires  the  conduct  of  the 
citizens,  confirmed  the  liberties  and  privileges  of  the 
city.  When,  five  years  later,  in  August  1320,  Louis 
came  with  his  army  to  Strasburg,  the  burghers 
solemnly  tendered  him  allegiance  in  the  cathedral,  in 
return  for  which  he  again  confirmed  their  privileges  ; 
but  the  clergy  had  suspended  the  offices  of  public 


THE  RIVAL  EMPERORS  117 

worship,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  nobles  still  sided 
with  them.     On  the  captivity  of  Frederic,  most  of  the 
imperial  cities  of  Alsace  came  over  to  Louis ;   but 
this  did  not  restore  concord  to  the  afflicted  land : 
for  Pope  John  XXIL,  bent  upon  the  humiliation  of 
Louis,  whose  popularity  and  power  were  such  as 
threatened  to  render  him  too  independent  of  the 
Holy  See,  now  interfered  in  the  affairs  of  the  Empire, 
and  by  his  persistent  refusal  to  acknowledge  Louis, 
brought   down  unspeakable  calamities  on  Europe, 
while  he  stirred  up  the  people  to  a  resistance  which 
could  not  but  in  the  end  prove  fatal  to  their  reverence 
for  the  Papal  Chair.     So  long  as  the  strife  lasted  be- 
tween Frederic  and  Louis,  John  XXIL,  while  claiming 
it  as  his  right  to  decide  between  them,  had  refrained 
from  pronouncing  any  actual  decision  for  either  party ; 
but  as  soon  as  the  former  was  subdued,  and  there 
was  a  prospect  of  peace,  he  instituted  a  process 
against  the  victorious  Louis  for  assuming  the  title 
of  King  of  the  Romans  before  receiving  the  Papal 
sanction,   admonished  him   to    lay    down    all    his 
powers,  and  forbade  his  subjects  to  render  further 
fealty  to  him.      But  when  in  the  following  year  it 
appeared  that  the  real  object  of  the  Pope  was  to 
depose  Louis  altogether,  and  raise  the  King  of  France 
to  the  throne,  the  Diet  assembled  at  Frankfurt  de- 
clared almost  unanimously  for  their  brave  Emperor, 
in  defiance  of  the  unrighteous  claims  of  the  Romish 
See.     The  Pope  in  return  laid  all  who  had  acknow- 
ledged Louis  under  interdict  in  July  1324,  from  which 
some  places  were  not  released  for  six-and-twenty 
years.     It  must  not  be  forgotten  what  this  sentence 
involved,  how  intimately  its  consequences  were  felt 
in  every  parish  and  every  home,  when  the  churches 


ii8       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

stood  silent^and  empty  for  years,  the  lawless  and 
wicked  were  left  unwarned,  and  the  pious  deprived  of 
the  consolation  of  worship  and  the  holy  communion 
during  all  this  most  dark  and  troubled  period.  But, 
in  spite  of  its  terrors,  the  German  people,  and  even 
the  greater  part  of  the  clergy,  took  part  with  their 
princes,  with  the  exception,  however,  of  the  Bishops 
of  Passau  and  Strasburg.  The  city  of  Strasburg, 
however,  remained  faithful  to  Louis,  resisting  by 
force  the  officers  who  attempted  to  proclaim  the 
Papal  fulmination  against  the  Emperor,  and  sending 
troops  to  his  assistance.  The  Bishop  John  von 
Ochsenstein  died  in  1338 ;  but  his  successor.  Berthold 
von  Bucheke,  trod  in  his  footsteps.  Strasburg  itself, 
like  most  of  the  German  cities,  took  but  little  heed 
of  the  Interdict  and  the  repeated  sentences  of  ex- 
communication hurled  against  Louis  by  the  Pope. 
The  internal  division  still  continued,  headed  by  the 
two  families  of  Zorn  and  Muellenheim,  till  in  1332  a 
sanguinary  contest  took  place,  which  resulted  in  the 
overthrow  of  the  old  constitution  of  the  city,  and  the 
introduction  of  the  craftsmen  into  the  Senate.  But 
the  new  magistrates  and  the  Bishop  remained  as 
much  at  variance  as  ever.  In  1338,  the  latter  in- 
duced his  Metropolitan,  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence, 
to  convene  an  assembly  of  German  Bishops  at  Spires, 
from  which  the  prelates  despatched  an  address  to  the 
Pope  Benedict  XIL,  earnestly  beseeching  him  to  be 
reconciled  with  Louis,  and  put  an  end  to  this  lament- 
able state  of  discord.  Their  petition  was  supported 
by  envoys  from  the  Estates  of  the  Empire,  moved 
thereto  by  Louis,  who  declared  himself  ready  to  yield 
all  obedience  to  the  Holy  See  which  was  consistent 
with  God's  glory,  his  own  just  right,  and  the  weal  of 


STRASBURG  119 

the  Empire.  But  as,  in  spite  of  these  and  similar 
efforts,  the  Pope  continued  to  prescribe  conditions 
which  made  a  reconciliation  impossible,  the  Bishop 
of  Strasburg  continued  to  withstand  the  Emperor, 
and  do  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  injure  the  imperial 
cause  in  Alsace,  Louis  now  resolved  to  resort  to 
decisive  measures  against  this  restless  adversary,  and 
in  1329  commanded  the  Rhenish  cities  to  join  the 
Duke  Rudolf  of  Bavaria  and  Conrad  Lord  of  Kinkel, 
in  attacking  Berthold.  The  latter,  having  for  allies 
the  Duke  of  Austria,  the  Count  of  Wurtemberg,  the 
Bishop  of  Basle,  and  other  nobles,  took  the  field,  be- 
leaguered several  cities  of  Alsace,  and  laid  waste  the 
surrounding  country  :  his  opponents  carried  reprisals 
into  his  territories.  Strasburg,  wearied  out  with  the 
misery  caused  by  this  never-ceasing  contention,  at 
length  declared  to  the  Bishop  that  it  would  no  longer 
yield  him  obedience  unless  he  made  peace  with  the 
Emperor ;  and  the  Prelate,  whose  arms  had  moreover 
met  with  reverses,  and  whose  finances  were  ex- 
hausted, fearing  lest  the  other  towns  of  his  diocese 
should  follow  the  example  of  Strasburg,  resolved  to 
do  homage  to  Louis  and  receive  investiture  from 
him,  under  the  reservation  of  absolute  obedience  to 
the  Pope,  while  he  sent  an  envoy  to  Benedict  XIL 
representing  his  desperate  condition,  and  requesting 
permission  to  sheathe  the  sword.  Both  Emperor 
and  Pope  conceded  his  requests  ;  and  from  this  time 
forward  he  did  all  that  he  could  to  maintain  tran- 
quillity within  his  bishopric,  which  was  the  more 
necessary,  as  the  controversy  between  the  Empire 
and  the  Papacy  grew  more  envenomed. 

After  the  famous  meeting  of  the  Electoral  College 
at  Rhense,  near  Coblenz,  in  July  1338,  had  declared 


120       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

that  the  King  of  the  Romans  received  his  dignity 
and  power  solely  from  the  free  choice  of  the  Electors, 
and  the  Imperial  Diet,  held  immediately  after,  had 
made  it  a  fundamental  law  of  the  Empire,  that  "  the 
imperial  dignity  is  bestowed  directly  by  God,  and  he 
who  has  been  legitimately  chosen  by  the  Electoral 
Princes,  becomes  thereby  King  and  Emperor  without 
further  confirmation  by  the  Pope  or  any  other," — 
Louis  published  a  Manifesto  to  all  Christendom, 
refuting  at  full  length  the  accusations  brought 
against  him  by  the  previous  Pope,  and  proving 
that  the  Pope  has  no  authority  to  sit  in  judgment 
on  the  Emperor.  He  further  commanded  that 
none  should  observe  the  papal  excommunication 
and  interdict,  and  sentenced  all  those,  whether 
individuals  or  whole  cities  and  communities,  who 
should  continue  to  submit  to  the  bann,  to  be 
deprived  of  their  rights  and  liberties. 

Great  was  the  impression  made  by  this  bold  Edict 
upon  the  German  people,  who  rallied  more  and  more 
universally  around  the  Emperor  who  thus  defended 
his  own  rights  and  the  honour  of  the  Empire.  But 
concord  was  banished  further  than  ever,  for  the 
clergy  in  many  cases  resisted  the  Emperor's  command 
to  resume  the  services  which  had  been  so  long  sus- 
pended, while  the  citizens,  who  had  borne  with  im- 
patience their  terrible  deprivation  of  the  sacred  rites, 
now  on  the  strength  of  the  Edict  issued  orders  that 
all  the  clergy  who  refused  to  perform  service  should 
be  banished.  Many  priests  left  their  churches  and 
removed  into  other  provinces,  numerous  convents 
stood  empty  of  their  inmates  ;  still  in  most  places 
there  remained  a  sufficient  number  of  priests  and 
monks  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  their  vocation.     This 


THE  INTERDICT  121 

was  the  case  in  Strasburg  ;  the  city  had  already 
suffered  all  the  calamities  consequent  on  the  Inter- 
dict :  the  clergy  had  spht  into  two  parties  ;  the  larger 
number  obeyed  the  Pope's  commands  ;  the  Augus- 
tinians  especially  had  for  many  years  suspended  the 
performance  of  all  religious  services.  The  Domini- 
cans and  the  Franciscans  had  availed  themselves  of 
the  privilege  early  granted  to  their  Orders  of  cele- 
brating mass  during  a  time  of  interdict.  But  now, 
when  the  Emperor  so  openly  set  himself  in  opposition 
to  the  Pope,  they  too,  terrified  by  the  sentence  of 
excommunication  hanging  over  them,  refused  in 
many  instances  to  say  mass,  on  which  the  Senate 
of  Strasburg  proclaimed  : — 

"  Either  let  them  go  on  to  sing, 
Or  out  of  the  city  let  theai  spring." 

The  Dominicans  in  general  quitted  the  city,  and 
Koenigshofen  relates  in  his  Chronicle,  that  they 
left  their  convent  standing  empty  for  more  than 
two  years  ;  but  no  doubt  many  of  the  democrati- 
cal  Franciscans,  who  had  always  supported  the 
Emperor,  remained  behind.  They  were,  however, 
as  we  shall  see,  exceptions  in  these  Orders  to  the 
general  rule,  which  shows  to  how  great  an  extent  the 
brethren  must  have  been  guided  by  their  individual 
conscience  rather  than  their  corporate  organization. 
Such  were  the  scenes  amidst  which  Tauler  was 
called  to  labour  as  a  Christian  minister  and  Domini- 
can monk.  Of  the  manner  in  which  he  fulfilled  his 
work,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  liis  personal  career, 
history  has  preserved  but  a  small  number  of  facts, 
but  these,  though  few,  are  significant.  All  the  testi- 
monies that  have  come  down  to  us  respecting  him, 


122       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

concur  in  bearing  witness  to  the  universal  affection 
and  esteem  with  which  he  was  regarded.  Even 
so  far  distant  as  Italy  his  name  was  known  as  a 
teacher  of  high  repute,  who  insisted  on  inward  piety. 
The  famous  Brother  Venturini,  of  Bergamo,  who 
was  residing  at  that  time  under  disgrace  in  a  con- 
vent at  Marveges,  names  him  in  a  letter  which  he 
writes  to  another  Dominican  in  Strasburg,  Egenolph 
von  Ehenheim,  calling  him  his  beloved  John  Tauler, 
and  wishing  to  enter  into  correspondence  with  him, 
because  he  perceives  that  "  through  him  and  others 
the  name  of  Christ  will  be  spread  abroad,  ever  more 
and  more,  throughout  Germany."  Egenolph  himself 
was  one  of  these  "  others,"  who  were  feUow-workers 
with  Tauler.  His  early  friend,  Johann  von  Dambach 
was  also  here  at  this  time. 

But  the  most  remarkable  trait  in  this  period  of 
Tauler's  life  is  that  he  not  only,  unlike  most  of  his 
Order,  sided  with  the  Emperor  in  his  whole  contest 
with  the  Pope,  but  did  not  suspend  his  activity  when, 
in  1338,  the  great  struggle  came  between  the  abso- 
lutely contradictory  commands  of  his  temporal  and 
spiritual  lords,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  his  brethren 
quitted  the  town,  and  left  their  convent  deserted  for 
two  years.  By  the  departure  of  nearly  all  the  clergy 
from  Strasburg,  Tauler  found  a  still  wider  field  of 
labour ;  and  from  allusions  to  him  in  letters  of  his 
contemporaries,  it  appears  that  he  did  not  confine 
his  exertions  to  that  city,  but  preached  from  time  to 
time  at  various  places,  from  Cologne  to  Basle.  Before 
the  close  of  1338  he  seems  to  have  made  a  somewhat 
lengthened  visit  to  the  latter  city,  where  the  state  of 
things  was  very  similar  to  that  in  Strasburg.  The 
Bishop  of  Basle  belonged  to  the  opponents  of  Louis 


VISIT  TO  BASLE  123 

of  Bavaria,  and  made  common  cause  with  the  Bishop 
of  Strasburg  in  attacking  the  adherents  of  the 
Emperor  in  1339.  The  citizens  again,  hke  those  of 
Strasburg,  had  remained  faithful  to  Louis,  and  had 
even  gone  so  far  in  their  hostihty  to  the  Pope,  that 
when,  in  1330,  John  XXIL  despatched  an  envoy  to 
pubhsh  his  bull  against  the  Emperor,  the  incensed 
mob  hurled  him,  although  a  priest  and  a  dignitary, 
from  the  citadel  into  the  river  ;  and,  when  he  tried 
to  save  himself  by  swimming,  put  out  in  boats  after 
him  and  slew  him.  During  the  Interdict,  however, 
most  of  the  clergy,  and  especially  the  monks,  had 
forsaken  the  churches,  so  that  in  many  places  the 
Sacrament  had  not  been  administered  for  fourteen 
years  ;  and  on  the  magistrates  ordering  them  to 
resume  their  functions  the  greater  part  had  refused 
to  do  so.  About  this  time,  however,  the  people  of 
Basle  by  some  means  prevailed  on  the  Pope  to  relax 
the  severity  of  the  Interdict  for  the  space  of  a  year. 

In  Basle,  Tauler  met  with  an  old  friend,  Henry  of 
Nordlingen,  from  whose  letters  most  of  the  scanty 
notices  of  Tauler  during  this  period  are  derived.  He 
was  a  priest  from  Constance,  which  city  he  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  on  account  of  his  refusal  to  preach  ; 
for  though  a  Bavarian  by  birth,  and  intimately  con- 
nected with  Tauler  and  others  of  similar  views,  he 
did  not  recognize  Louis  as  the  lawful  Emperor.  He 
is  principally  known  by  his  correspondence  with  a 
very  remarkable  woman,  Margaretha  Ebner,  a  nun 
at  the  Convent  of  Maria  Medingen,  in  the  diocese 
of  Augsburg.  Her  sister  Christina  was  Abbess  of 
the  Convent  of  Engenthal,  near  Nuremberg.  Both 
were  distinguished  by  their  mental  endowments  as 
well  as  their  earnest  piety,  and  were  evidently  held 


124       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

in  great  respect  by  Tauler,  Suso,  and  others  of  that 
party.  They  seem  also  to  have  taken  up  a  very 
decided  position  amidst  the  ecclesiastical  commo- 
tions of  their  age,  and  were  zealous  partizans  of 
Louis.  Christina,  famous  for  her  visions,  in  one  of 
her  trances  sees  the  Romish  Church  in  the  hkeness  of 
a  magnificent  Cathedral,  the  doors  of  which  are, 
however,  closed  by  reason  of  the  Interdict.  The 
singing  of  the  priests  within  is  heard  ;  a  crowd  of 
people  are  standing  round,  but  dare  not  enter.  On 
a  sudden  a  man  in  the  garb  of  a  preaching  friar 
comes  up  to  the  nun,  and  tells  her  that  he  will  give 
her  words  wherewith  to  console  the  forsaken  multi- 
tude ;  and  this  man  is  Christ. 

Taiiler  occasionally  visited  both  these  nuns,  and 
was  in  correspondence  with  Margaretha*,  whom  he 
urges  to  write  down  her  visions  respecting  the  state 
of  Christendom  and  the  friends  of  God.  For  him 
they  had  a  deep  veneration,  and  constantly  call  him 
*'  our  dear  Father  Tauler."  Christina  learns,  in 
one  of  her  revelations,  that  he  is  "  the  holiest  of 
God's  children  now  hving  on  earth,"  that  "  the 
spirit  of  God  breathes  through  him,  as  sweet  music 
through  a  lute  ;  "  Margaret  speaks,  too,  sometimes 
of  the  joy  that  she  has  had  in  the  presence  of  this 
great  friend  of  God,  and  how  hard  it  has  been  to 
part  with  him.  She  appears  to  have  stood  rather 
in  the  relation  of  a  wise  Christian  friend  and  coun- 
sellor, than  of  a  spiritual  child,  to  Henry  of  Nord- 
lingen,  who  from  his  letters  seems  to  have  been  a 
man  of  gentle,  pious  spirit,  more  fitted  for  a  quiet 

*  Only  one  short  letter,  however,  has  been  preserved,  from  having 
been  placed  among  those  of  Henry  of  Nordlingen,  and  it  is  too 
unimportant  for  insertion. 


VISIT  TO  BASLE  125 

contemplative  life  than  for  the  energetic  activity 
required  by  the  troublous  times  in  which  his  lot 
was  cast.  He,  like  Tauler,  was  filled  with  anguish 
at  the  sight  of  the  distress  of  those  around  him  ;  but 
while  Tauler' s  grief  stirred  him  up  to  vigorous  efforts 
in  their  behalf,  and  his  courage  and  energy  rose  with 
the  emergency,  the  timid  and  hesitating  Henry  was 
unable  to  surmount  the  difficulties  in  which  he  found 
himself  involved,  and  the  greater  the  pressure  of 
the  times,  the  greater  was  his  perplexity  and  long- 
ing for  peace.  Yet,  when  his  scrupulous  conscience 
allowed  him  to  preach,  his  labours  appear  to  have 
been  fruitful  in  result.  This  was  the  case  during 
Tauler's  visit  to  Basle,  where  he  had  previously  been 
sojourning  for  some  time  in  inactivity,  after  long 
wandering  and  much  distress.* 

When  the  Pope  allowed  public  worship  to  be 
celebrated  for  a  year  at  Basle,  Henry's  friends, 
without  his  knowledge,  procured  him  permission  to 
preach,  and  give  a  forty  days'  indulgence  ;  and  he 
then  ventured  to  appear  in  public,  encouraged  by 
Tauler's  influence  and  counsel.  Thus  he  says  : — 
"  Afterwards  I  came  to  Basle,  to  my  and  thy  dear 
faithful  Father  Tauler  (who  was  with  me  at  thy 
house),  and  he  helped  me  in  every  way  he  could  with 
all  fideUty."  He  then  writes  :  "  The  great  mercy 
has  been  granted  us  that  we  may  celebrate  mass  in 

*  His  letters  give  a  lively  picture  of  the  real  dangers  to  which  his 
politics  exposed  him.  Thus  he  says,  "  I  have  been  called  before  the 
princes  of  this  world  who  have  proscribed  me,  so  that  there  is  no  place 
of  safety  for  me  in  this  land,  unless  I  would  consent  to  perform  mass." 
Again,  he  would  come  to  Margaretha,  but  "  I  may  not  as  yet  dare  to 
appear  openly  in  this  land."  "  If  the  Emperor  should  leave  the  country, 
perhaps  I  might  be  able  to  see  thee,  if  it  were  God's  will."  "  At  Con- 
stance and  in  the  neighbouring  country  the  priests  have  been  everywhere 
ordered  to  sing  mass,  so  that  I  do  not  know  where  I  shall  be  able  to 
remain." 


126       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

public,  with  the  Pope's  permission  ;  and  now  do  the 
hungry  souls  come  with  great  desire  to  receive  the 
Lord's  body,  which  they  have  not  been  able  to  enjoy 
for  fourteen  years  in  Christian  obedience.  And  now 
I  entreat  you,  with  special  earnestness,  that  you 
pray  to  God  for  all  those  whom  I  feed  with  His  Body, 
that  we  may  receive  His  Holy  Sacrament  in  His 
love,  and  administer  it  to  His  eternal  glory,  and  the 
consolation  of  all  Christian  souls."  He  now  preached 
every  day,  and  often  twice  a  day,  besides  performing 
mass  daily  ;  and  so  many  of  all  classes  streamed  to 
confess  to  him  that  he  was  overwhelmed  with  his 
duties,  and  writes  to  his  friend  :  "  If  I  could  manage 
it,  I  would  gladly  come  to  you  ;  but  I  am  not  my 
own.  I  am  the  property  of  the  whole  Chapter,  and 
the  most  important  parishes.  The  people  at  Basle 
are  not  willing  that  I  should  leave  them,  neither, 
indeed,  should  I  have  courage  to  travel  openly  about 
the  country  ;  for  I  should  be  at  the  mercy  of  any 
ruffian  or  thief,  and  if  aught  befell  me,  no  complaint 
would  be  laid  against  him.  Still  I  trust  in  the  Lord 
that  He  will  suffer  me  to  see  thee,  my  heart's  true 
consolation."  But  some  months  later  he  writes  : 
"  Methought  I  clung  too  much  and  with  too  carnal 
feelings  to  the  ease,  the  luxurious  and  pleasant 
society,  and  the  earthly  comforts  that  I  enjoyed  at 
Basle.  In  truth  I  knew  not  that  I  did  so  while  I 
had  them,  but  felt  it  fully  when  I  forsook  them. 
Besides,  I  perceived  in  my  heart,  through  many 
suggestions  and  admonitions,  that  my  labours  might 
be  more  needed  elsewhere  than  at  Basle,  and  so  I 
ventured  my  departure  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and 
his  flock,  and  have  exchanged  the  marvellously  holy 
and  pleasant  and  acceptable  society  there  for  all 


HENRY  OF  NORDLINGEN        127 

manner  of  discomfort  to  my  inward  and  outward 
man,  by  night  and  by  day  ;  so  that  now  I  must  per- 
force retreat  into  myself,  and  take  refuge  in  my 
only  consolation,  Christ  Jesus,  if  I  were  unwilling 
to  do  so  before." 

By  the  persuasion  of  Tauler,  Henry  appears  now 
for  a  time  to  have  preached  even  in  places  which 
still  lay  under  the  Interdict,  but  afterwards,  terrified 
by  the  violent  censure  of  the  clergy  for  his  conduct, 
to  have  submitted  again  to  the  papal  prohibition, 
and  resumed  his  wanderings.  Tauler,  on  the  con- 
trary, waited  for  no  papal  permission  to  do  that 
which  he  considered  to  be  the  bounden  duty  of  a 
clergyman,  and  after  his  visit  to  Basle  it  appears 
from  Henry's  letters  that  he  travelled  more  than 
once  as  far  as  Cologne.  In  this  city,  where  Master 
Eckart  had  spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  numerous 
preachers  had  gone  forth  from  his  school,  who  con- 
tinued to  promulgate  his  doctrines  with  more  or  less 
ability  and  originality.  Nicolas  of  Strasburg,  too, 
was  at  this  time  lecturing  at  Cologne,  probably 
driven  from  Strasburg  by  the  troubles  to  which  his 
papal  politics  would  expose  him  at  this  period.  This 
was  the  case  also  with  Tauler's  old  friend,  Johann 
von  Dambach,  who  had  not  only  declared  that 
during  the  Interdict  it  was  the  duty  of  a  pious  Chris- 
tian to  submit  unconditionally  to  the  Church,  but 
even  composed  several  tractates  to  prove  the 
justifiableness  of  the  Interdict  from  the  Canon  Law. 
Yet,  as  we  have  seen  Tauler  and  the  Ebners  in  un- 
disturbed friendship  with  Henry  of  Nordlingen,  in 
spite  of  differences  which  entered  so  deeply  into  the 
life  of  those  times,  so,  notwithstanding  Dambach's 
antagonistic  opinions,  and  his  removal  to  the  distant 


128       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

Prague*,  the  connection  between  him  and  Tauler  was 
not  broken  off,  as  is  proved  by  the  circumstance, 
that,  after  1350  he  sent  his  book,  "  De  sensibilibus 
deliciis  paradisi,'"'  to  their  Alma  Mater,  the  College 
of  St  Jacques,  in  Paris,  in  their  joint  names. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  date  when  that  great  change 
was  produced  in  Tauler  with  which  the  foregoing 
"  History  "  has  acquainted  us.  Till  recently,  little 
was  known  of  the  "  History,"  beyond  the  fact  that 
it  was  found  attached  to  some  MSS.  of  Tauler's 
sermons,  and  many  have  doubted  of  its  genuineness. 
Quetif  and  Echard,  for  instance,  have  treated  it  as 
a  mere  allegory.  By  dint  of  laborious  researches 
among  the  old  MSS.  of  the  libraries  of  Strasburg 
and  Sarnen,  and  ingenious  combinations  of  the 
results  thence  obtained,  Professor  Schmidt  has  not 
only  established,  in  a  way  that  it  seems  to  me  must 
be  satisfactory  to  any  one  who  goes  through  the 
evidence,  that  this  Tractate  is  a  perfectly  genuine 
and  truthful  production,  the  work  of  the  layman 
who  professes  to  have  written  it,  but  also  has  suc- 
ceeded in  identifying  this  layman  with  a  mysterious 
personage,  called  the  Great  Friend  of  God,  in  the 
Oberland,  the  head  of  a  secret  religious  association  ; 
and  the  latter  again,  with  a  certain  Nicolas  of  Basle, 
whose  name,  however,  only  occurs  twice  ;  once  in 
the  account  of  his  own  martyrdom,  once  in  that  of 
one  of  his  disciples. 

The  most  important  of  the  MSS.  examined  by  Pro- 
fessor Schmidt  is  a  large  folio  volume,  only  recently 
discovered  in  the  archives  of  Strasburg,  and  formerly 
belonging  to  the  Convent  of  the  Knights  of  St  John 

*  He  was  made  Professor  at  the  newly-established  University  there  in 
»347- 


NICOLAS  OF   BASLE  129 

in  that  city,  called  a  Brufhuch  [book  of  letters],  and 
is  for  the  most  part  a  collection  of  letters  and  papers 
left  by  Rulman  Merswin,  the  founder  of  the  convent. 
This  Rulman  Merswin  was  a  friend  of  Tauler  (who 
was  for  some  time  his  confessor),  and,  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  of  the  "  Layman,"  Nicolas,  by  whose 
advice  he  built  a  house  for  the  Brethren  of  St  John, 
on  an  island  at  Strasburg  called  the  Gruenen-Worth 
{green  meadow),  and  with  whom  he  was  in  constant 
correspondence  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1382. 
Several  portions  of  this  extremely  curious  Briefbuch 
were  carefully  copied  into  the  archives  of  the  con- 
vent, forming  what  is  called  its  Memorial*  but  the 
codex  itself  did  not  belong  to  the  public  archives  of 
the  house,  being  kept  secret  from  all  but  a  few,  on 
account  of  the  private  letters  and  notes  contained  in 
it,  and  therefore  treasured  up  with  pecuhar  care. 
So  late  as  the  seventeenth  century,  this  was  still  the 
case,  and  a  reader  of  that  period  has  traced  on  the 
outer  covering  of  the  Codex  the  words  :  "  liher  iste 
religiose  custodiendus.^^  The  documents  of  which 
it  consists  were  arranged,  and  most  of  them  copied 
out,  by  Nicolas  von  Laufen,  who  (according  to  a  few 
notices  of  himself,  which  he  has  inserted  at  the  close 
of  the  Briefbuch)  seems  to  have  accompanied  Rulman 
Merswin  as  his  secretary,  on  taking  possession  of  the 
newly-built  Gruenen-Worth  in  1366,  and  a  few  years 
later  to  have  become  a  priest  of  the  order  of  St  John. 
The  codex  contains  among  other  less  important 
matter,  a  MS.  called  "  The  Book  of  the  Five  Men,'^ 
being  an  account  of  Nicolas  and  his  four  companions, 
in  the  handwriting  of  Nicolas  himself  ;  twenty-two 

*  The  documents  relating  to  the  founders  of  the  house  are  so  called. 
Of  this  Memorial  four  copies  are  known  to  exist. 


130       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

of  his  letters,  apparently  copied  by  Nicolas  von 
Laufen,  and  the  original  MS.  of  Rulman  Merswin's 
account  of  the  first  four  years  of  his  rehgious  history, 
in  his  own  handwriting.  Thus,  after  a  lapse  of  five 
hundred  years,  we  are  able  to  learn  more  about  this 
extraordinary  half-mythical  "  Friend  of  God  in  the 
Oberland,"  than  his  very  contemporaries  knew. 

From  these  documents  we  are  able  to  obtain  a 
general  idea  of  the  character  and  work  of  Nicolas, 
though  the  actual  course  of  his  history,  especially 
during  the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  is  still  almost 
entirely  shrouded  from  view.  All  that  we  can  dis- 
cover respecting  the  commencement  of  his  career  is, 
that  about  the  year  1328  or  1330,  he  was  a  youth  of 
good  family  at  Basle*,  wealthy,  universally  esteemed, 
and  possessed  of  abilities  that  ensured  him  success 
in  all  that  he  undertook.  Nevertheless,  he  was  un- 
happy, from  the  consciousness  of  his  sinfulness  and 
ignorance  of  divine  things.  Being,  as  a  layman, 
uninstructed  in  Holy  Scripture,  he  sought  to  master 
rehgious  truths  by  the  exercise  of  his  reason  ;  but  his 
efforts  to  obtain  satisfaction  were  in  vain.  For 
years  he  struggled  with  his  own  intellectual  diffi- 
culties and  the  temptations  of  the  world.  One  day, 
as  he  was  meditating  on  the  transitory  nature  of  all 
earthly  things  and  the  rapid  flight  of  time,  the 
thoughtlessness,  sinfulness,  and  thorough  forgetful- 
ness  of  God  in  all  those  around  him  were  pre- 
sented in  such  vivid  colours  to  his  mind,  that  it 
seemed  inconceivable  to  him  how  man  could  take  any 
delight  in  this  vain  world  ;  and  then,  as  the  thought 

*  The  place  of  his  abode  is  not  certain,  but  inferred  from  the 
dialect  of  the  Tractate  found  in  his  own  handwriting.  See  Schmidt's 
Gotiesfreunde.     S.  32. 


THE  FRIENDS  OF  GOD  131 

of  his  own  wasted  time  rose  to  his  remembrance,  he 
was  filled  with  such  bitter  remorse  that  he  resolved 
from  that  moment  to  renounce  the  world  and  dedicate 
his  life  to  God.  To  this  end,  as  we  have  seen*,  he 
read  the  lives  of  the  saints  and  imitated  their 
austerities.  This  discipline  he  had  carried  on  for 
five  years  before  he  found  peace  in  the  way  he 
describes  in  the  "  History."  He  afterwards  set 
himself  to  study  the  Scriptures  (no  doubt  in  Latin), 
and  says  that  in  a  space  of  thirty  weeks  he  had  come 
to  be  able  to  understand  it  as  thoroughly,  and 
"  speak  as  good  grammar,  as  if  he  had  studied  all  his 
days  in  the  best  Universities  ;  "  which  extraordinary 
facility  of  acquisition  he  refers  to  special  divine 
assistance.  We  know  no  more  of  him  till  we  find 
him  at  the  head  of  a  society  of  "  Friends  of  God," 
who  live  with  him  in  utter  seclusion  from  the  world, 
and  form  the  secret  centre  of  a  wide  circle  of  religious 
activity,  unconnected  with  any  recognized  order, 
but  yet  not  overstepping  the  pale  of  the  Church. 

The  title  of  "  Friends  of  God  "  is  one  which  meets 
us  continually  in  the  writings  of  those  who  are  termed 
mystics  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  is  used  in 
various  connections.  Sometimes  it  seems  to  denote 
those  who  were  partakers  of  a  spiritual  in  opposi- 
tion to  a  formalistic  piety  ;  sometimes  to  denote  the 
members  of  a  particular  body.  Among  those  called 
*'  Friends  of  God  "  we  find  the  names  of  individuals 
widely  differing  from  each  other  in  rank,  vocation, 
opinion,  and  career  ;  for  they  counted  among  their 
members  Dominicans,  such  as  Eckart,  Tauler,  Suso 
of  Constance,  and  Henry  of  Nordlingen,  and  Fran- 
ciscans, such  as  Otto  of  Passau ;  Knights  married 

*  See  p.  20. 


132       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

and  single ;  nuns  like  Christina  and  Margaretha 
Ebner,  and  a  Queen,  Agnes  the  widow  of  King 
Andrew  of  Hungary ;  the  rich  banker,  Rulman 
Merswin,  and  Conrad,  the  Abbot  of  Kaisersheim  in 
Bavaria,  who  boasts,  in  a  letter  to  Henry  of  Nord- 
lingen,  that  he  has  not  accepted  the  Bishop  of 
Augsburg's  absolution  either  for  himself  or  his 
monastery ;  Conrad  Brunsberg,  again,  the  Grand- 
Master  of  the  Knights  of  St  John  in  Germany,  besides 
the  layman,  Nicolas  of  Basle,  and  the  great  mystical 
author  of  the  Netherlands,  Ruysbroeck.  The  appel- 
lation common  to  all  these,  with  numbers  of  less 
distinguished  persons,  would  seem  to  have  been 
used  among  themselves  to  denominate  those  who 
could  not  but  feel  that  they  were  more  alive  to  the 
realities  of  religion  and  its  spiritual  nature  than  was 
the  case  with  the  multitude  around  them.  That 
those  possessing  common  sympathies  on  the  subjects 
of  highest  import,  should  instinctively  seek  out  and 
cling  to  each  other,  and  thus  an  association  should 
spontaneously  grow  up,  even  without  any  definite 
plan,  is  a  natural  and  inevitable  process,  where  a 
real,  deep  reUgious  life  has  arrived  at  self-conscious- 
ness ;  and  from  a  comparison  of  the  passages  in 
which  Tauler  and  Henry  of  Nordlingen  use  the 
term  "  Friends  of  God,"  it  appears  to  me  that  in  the 
first  instance  the  sense  of  having  entered  into  a  living, 
personal  union  with  God,  bringing  with  it  a  yearning 
pity  for  sinners,  and  a  fervent  desire  to  bring  them 
to  the  same  blessed  state,  was  the  sole  distinction 
and  bond  of  the  "  Friends  of  God." 

It  is  at  all  events  clear  that  their  union  for  common 
action  was  utterly  independent  of  the  attitude  they 
assumed  towards  the  great  conflicting  questions  of 


NOT  A  SECT  133 

the  day ;  for,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  Abbot  of  Kaisers- 
heim, and  Henry  of  Nordlingen,  those  are  called 
"  Friends  of  God,"  and  treat  each  other  as  brethren, 
who  are  as  far  asunder  in  their  politics  as  the 
Chartists  and  High  Tories  of  our  own  days.  Neither 
did  they  form  a  sect,  but,  on  the  contrary,  repudiated 
the  idea,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  passage  from 
Tauler's  sermon  on  the  twenty-second  Sunday  after 
Trinity,  which  I  think,  too,  confirms  this  view  of 
their  origin.  "  The  prince  of  this  world  has  nowa- 
days been  sowing  brambles  among  the  roses  in  all 
directions,  insomuch  that  the  roses  are  often  choked, 
or  sorely  torn  by  the  brambles.  Children,  there 
must  needs  be  a  flight  or  a  distinction  ;  some  sort  of  a 
separation,  whether  within  the  cloisters  or  without, 
and  it  does  not  make  them  into  a  sect,  that  the 
'  Friends  of  God '  profess  to  be  unUke  the  world's 
friends."  The  remark  that  the  "  Friends  of  God  " 
were  not  a  sect,  would  seem  to  prove  that  this  accusa- 
tion was  brought  against  them  ;  but,  indeed,  proof 
of  this  would  seem  superfluous,  for  then,  as  in  all 
other  times,  it  would  infallibly  happen  that  the  un- 
worldly and  spiritual  -  minded,  who  recognized  a 
nobler  sort  of  religion  than  that  comprised  in  the 
due  observance  of  religious  rites  and  decent  moral 
conduct,  should  be  charged  with  sectarianism  and 
suspected  of  heresy,  even  if  they  broached  no  new 
dogmas,  and  went  no  farther  than  to  bring  out  in 
their  teaching  and  practice  the  real  significance  of 
the  Church's  ordinances. 

But  the  greater  the  sinfulness  and  deadness  to 
rehgion  in  a  particular  age,  the  more  strongly  marked 
must  be  the  hne  of  demarcation  between  the  careless 
and  the  earnest ;  for  the  religious  are  thus  obhged  to 


134       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

abstain  from  pleasures  and  occupations  which,  inno- 
cent in  themselves,  have  become  corrupt.  At  the 
same  time,  too,  the  danger  of  enthusiasm,  and 
mistaking  one's  own  natural  emotions  for  direct 
Divine  influence,  will  be  greatest  when  such  influences 
known  to  be  real  by  the  pious,  are  altogether  denied 
by  the  world  in  general.  Illustrations  will  instantly 
suggest  themselves  to  the  mind  of  the  reader  from 
the  experience  of  our  own  Church  in  the  times  of 
Wesley  and  Whitfield  ;  and  in  like  manner,  amidst 
the  universal  deadness  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  arose  the  Pietistic  move- 
ment of  Spener  and  Franke.  Thus  the  great 
wickedness,  especially  of  the  clergy,  the  contentions 
and  dreadful  catastrophes  which  mark  the  first  half 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  would  impel  the  pious  to 
come  out  from  the  world,  and  stimulate  them  to 
specially  earnest  and  direct  efforts  to  enkindle  the 
religious  life  of  the  people.  And  so,  during  the 
terrors  of  the  Interdict,  they  seem  to  have  formed 
an  association  with  no  declared  boundary,  yet  whose 
boundaries  would  be  most  distinctly  recognized  by 
all  who  were  within  the  line.  To  the  name  they 
adopted,  the  text  John  xv.  15  seems  to  have  given 
occasion  ;  for  Tauler  says  :  "  Then  said  our  Lord  to 
His  disciples,  '  From  henceforth  I  call  you  not  ser- 
vants, but  friends.'  The  '  henceforth  '  that  he  spoke 
was  from  the  time  when  they  had  forsaken  all  things 
and  followed  Him.  Then  were  they  his  friends,  and 
not  servants  ;  and  therefore  he  who  will  be  a  true 
friend  of  God  must  leave  all  things  and  follow  after 
Him."  From  this  passage,  in  the  spirit  of  which 
many  others  concur,  we  see  at  once  in  what  the  right 
to  this  title  consisted — namely,  in  the  thorough  self- 


THEIR  DOCTRINES  135 

surrender  to  God,  the  forsaking  £l11  things  to  follow 
God  alone. 

But  while  this  principle,  which  surely  we  must 
recognize  as  that  which  does  really  constitute  the 
friends  of  God  in  all  ages,  was  brought  out  into 
peculiar  prominence  by  these  German  GoUesfreunde, 
their  views  could  not  fail  to  be  coloured  by  the 
modes  of  thought  and  the  circumstances  of  their  age. 
Thus,  in  order  to  this  entire  devotedness  to  God,  we 
find  a  renunciation,  so  far  as  may  be,  of  all  earthly 
cares  and  ties  recommended  by  them  ;  thus,  too,  we 
see  that  their  faith  in  God's  direct,  personal  dealings 
with  the  individual  soul  is  apt  to  be  accompanied  by 
a  superstitious  regarding  of  insignificant  phenomena, 
or  even  the  mere  effects  of  an  over-active  fancy,  as  a 
positive  intimation  of  His  will.  Some  of  us,  too, 
would  be  inclined  to  think  that  their  continual  in- 
sisting on  the  duty  of  passively  yielding  up  the  soul 
to  divine  influences,  and  their  exhortations  to  take 
all  outward  things  as  from  God,  would  involve  a 
danger  of  faUing  into  an  indolent  quietism.  But 
the  fact,  far  from  justifying  our  expectations,  would 
afford  another  proof  that  when  we  leave  off  trying 
to  do  the  work  that  God  will  do  Himself,  we  shall  find 
our  energies  all  the  more  vigorous  to  accomplish  that 
which  He  has  set  us  to  do  ;  for  instead  of  regarding 
the  events  around  them  with  passive  indifference, 
like  many  of  the  earHer  ascetics,  they  believed  them- 
selves called  to  exercise  a  very  positive  influence  on 
the  course  of  events. 

This  was  in  a  special  sense  the  case  with  Nicolas  of 
Basle  and  his  immediate  companions,  whom  we  find, 
from  the  recently  discovered  documents,  to  have 
entertained  plans  for  the  extension  of  rehgion  and 


136       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

the  reform  of  Christendom  of  a  wider  nature  than  it 
was  safe  to  disclose  even  to  their  brethren  indis- 
criminately, at  a  time  when  the  Dominican  inquisitors 
(who,  moreover,  were  of  the  Papal,  while  most  of 
the  "  Friends  of  God  "  were  of  the  Imperial  party) 
were  actively  engaged  in  hunting  out  heretics,  especi- 
ally those  who  might  betray  any  leaning  to  the 
democratic  and  reformatory  tendencies  of  the 
Spiritual  Franciscans  and  their  cognate  sects.  Thus 
the  knot  of  men  who  gathered  round  Nicolas  as  their 
centre,  seem,  as  compared  with  the  Gottesfreunde 
at  large,  to  have  formed  a  church  within  a  church, 
having  secret  schemes  into  which  the  others  were 
not  initiated. 

From  hints  of  such  private  schemes  scattered  in 
the  writings  of  Rulman  Merswin  and  "  the  Layman," 
it  was  formerly  imagined  that  the  latter  at  any  rate 
was  a  secret  Waldensian ;  but  this  idea  is  not  con- 
firmed by  more  extended  research  ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  importance  which  he  and  his  friends  attach  to 
the  rites  of  the  Church, — to  obedience  to  ecclesias- 
tical superiors, —  their  belief  in  transubstantiation 
and  purgatory,  &c.,  are  quite  inconsistent  with  it; 
Indeed,  the  views  of  Nicolas  seem  to  have  been  much 
more  in  unison  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  than 
those  of  Eckart  and  his  school.  The  only  peculiarity 
of  his  belief,  that  I  can  discover,  is  his  strong  con- 
fidence in  the  reality  of  the  visions  and  miraculous 
revelations  imparted  to  himself  and  his  friends  ;  and 
it  must  be  remembered  that  even  this  pecuharity  he 
not  only  shares  in  common  with  the  great  Luther, 
who  hved  two  centuries  later,  and  with  the  liberal 
and  sagacious  Wesley,  almost  in  our  own  days,  but 
that  his  spiritual  childhood  had  been  nurtured  on 


TAULER'S  CONVERSION  137 

the  legends  of  the  saints,  with  all  their  marvels ; 
and  that  we  see,  from  the  history  of  his  times,  that 
miracles  and  revelations  were  of  everyday  occurrence, 
at  all  events  among  the  Franciscans  and  sectarians. 
The  secret  of  the  extraordinary  sway  which  Nicolas 
obtained,  not  only  over  laymen  less  instructed  and 
priests  less  thinking  than  himself,  but  even  over  a 
man  of  such  commanding  intellect  as  Tauler,  seems 
to  me  to  he  in  the  intense  glow  of  his  piety,  the  utter 
self-devotion  of  his  own  life,  his  force  of  will,  and  his 
real  spiritual  insight.  Not  only  did  he  stand  im- 
measurably below  Tauler  in  point  of  learning,  but 
his  letters,  while  affording  many  traits  of  spiritual 
wisdom  and  acute  practical  sense,  exhibit  neither 
the  reflective  nor  imaginative  power  of  Tauler's 
writings.  Yet  the  accompUshed  scholar,  the  ex- 
perienced pastor,  the  fearless  politician,  resigns 
himself  implicitly  to  the  guidance  of  the  obscure 
layman  as  his  incontestable  superior. 

The  crisis  which  Nicolas  was  the  means  of  bringing 
about  in  Tauler's  life  is  commonly  termed  a  con- 
version ;  but  from  all  that  we  have  read  of  his  previous 
life,  it  seems  clear  that  it  cannot  be  regarded  as  what 
is  ordinarily  meant  by  that  term.  Before  it  took 
place  Tauler  was  already  a  sincere.  God-fearing, 
active  Christian  minister,  and  recognized  as  their 
*'  Father  "  and  leader  by  the  "  Friends  of  God  " 
scattered  up  and  down  Switzerland,  Bavaria,  and 
the  Rhenish  states.  Neither  can  I  discover  any 
conversion,  properly  speaking,  in  point  of  doctrinal 
opinions.  Nicolas  agrees  to  all  he  taught  as  very 
good,  and  blames,  not  his  preaching,  but  his  hfe. 
Surely,  therefore,  this  notable  change  is  to  be  re- 
garded in  the  light  in  which  Tauler  himself  regarded 


138       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

it ;  as  the  coming  to  a  deeper,  more  real  and  practical 
experience  of  the  things  of  God.  It  seems,  that 
with  all  his  sincere  piety,  and  hatred  of  sin,  and 
abhorrence  of  the  evil  world  around  him,  Tauler 
had  never  come  to  a  clear  consciousness  of  all  the 
depths  of  sin  concealed  in  his  own  heart,  or  an 
apprehension  of  the  full  import  of  the  utter  self- 
surrender  to  God  which  he  preached.  Such  a  de- 
ficiency of  self-knowledge  is  indeed  more  possible 
with  a  conscientious  man  of  Tauler' s  character,  pure 
and  gentle  by  nature,  than  with  one  of  the  opposite, 
or  more  stormy  type.  It  is  true  that  the  task  which 
God  lays  upon  all  is  the  same — thö  unceasing  sur- 
render of  their  own  wishes  to  the  higher  aims  which 
He  sets  successively  before  them.  But  with  men  of 
passionate  temperament  and  selfish  habits,  who  are 
therefore  at  every  turn  exposed  by  circumstances  to 
violent  temptation,  their  natural  wishes  are,  for  the 
most  part,  so  obviously  sinful  that,  though  the 
struggle  of  renouncing  them  may  be  hard,  the  duty 
of  doing  so  is  clear  and  pressing.  And  when  such 
turn  to  God,  their  falls  in  attempting  the  Christian 
walk  are  often  frequent  enough,  or  at  least  their 
battles  with  temptation  severe  enough,  to  teach 
them  the  evil  and  weakness  of  their  own  heart. 
With  men,  on  the  other  hand,  of  calm,  pure,  and 
affectionate  disposition,  and  trained  in  conscientious 
habits,  so  many  of  their  wishes  are  for  things  harm- 
less, or  even  good  in  themselves,  that  it  is  less  easy  to 
see  why  and  how  they  are  to  be  given  up.  Such  men, 
just,  kindly,  and  finding  much  of  their  own  happiness 
in  that  of  others,  live,  for  the  most  part,  in  har- 
monious relations  with  those  around  them,  and  have 
little  to  disturb  their  consciences,  beyond  the  fear  of 


MENTAL  TRIALS  139 

falling  short  in  the  path  of  duty  on  which  they  have 
already  entered.  But  they  are  exposed  to  many 
perils,  more  insidious,  because  less  startling,  than 
those  which  beset  their  more  fiercely  -  tempted 
brethren.  They  are  in  danger  of  depending  too 
much  on  the  respect  and  love  which  others  so  readily 
yield  them  ;  of  valuing  themselves  on  a  purity  which, 
if  ever  one  of  struggle,  has  come  to  be  one  of  taste  ; 
of  prizing  intellectual  clearness  above  moral  insight 
and  vigour  ;  of  mistaking  the  pleasure  they  feel  in 
the  performance  of  duty,  for  real  submission  to  the 
will  of  God  ;  and  above  all,  of  shrinking  from  new 
truths  which  would,  for  the  time,  confuse  their  belief, 
and  break  up  the  calm  symmetry  of  their  lives.  The 
greater  danger  to  the  Christian  life  arising  from  those 
hidden  heart-sins,  than  even  from  sinful  acts  which 
instantly  wound  the  conscience,  is  a  truth  which 
Tauler  insists  upon  in  his  sermons  so  strongly  and 
so  often,  nay,  sometimes  almost  to  exaggeration,  that 
one  could  not  but  guess  that  he  was  speaking  from 
his  own  experience,  even  had  we  not  the  certainty  of 
it  from  the  "  History."  For,  as  he  often  declares, 
different  natures  require  and  receive  a  very  different 
discipline  from  God.  Sometimes  it  is  by  outward 
affliction  that  God  speaks  to  souls  thus  sinking  into 
the  lethargy  of  formalism  ;  and  the  loss  of  friends, 
or  health,  or  influence  suddenly  seems  to  cut  off,  as 
it  were,  half  their  means  of  serving  Him,  and  to  rouse 
long-forgotten  temptations  to  rise  up  against  His 
will.  Sometimes,  on  the  other  hand.  He  speaks  to 
them  inwardly,  by  opening  their  eyes  to  heights  of 
hohness,  which  they  had  never  before  steadily  con- 
templated. They  now  suddenly  perceive  that  many 
of  the  fancied  duties  which  have  till  now  occupied 


140       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

their  lives,  and  satisfied  their  consciences,  have  long 
ceased  to  be  duties,  and  have  come  to  be  mere  habits 
or  pleasures  ;  and  that  while  they  have  been  thus 
living  in  self-love,  unseen  and  unrepented-of,  they 
might  have  been  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
higher  obligations  to  which  they  have  been  so  blind, 
but  which  were  all  implied  in  their  first  belief,  if  they 
had  but  continued  to  read  it  with  a  single  eye.  Thus 
they  are  weighed  down  by  present  temptations  to 
which  they  have  long  been  strangers.  For,  in  order 
to  follow  the  new  light  granted  to  them,  they  must 
give  up  long  -  cherished  aims ;  relinquish  many 
opportunities  of  doing  good,  and  even,  it  may  seem, 
the  very  faculties  for  using  them  ;  and  sacrifice,  not 
only  the  good  opinion  of  the  world,  but  the  trust  and 
affection  of  many  who  are  dearest  to  them.  They 
shrink  from  such  renunciation  ;  and  then  come  doubt 
and  perplexity  to  add  to  the  bitterness  of  the  struggle. 
Can  it  be  right  to  abandon  so  much  that  is  good  and 
worthy  in  itself,  can  it  be  the  voice  of  God  that 
summons  them  to  do  this,  or  is  it  not  rather  a  self- 
willed  fancy  of  their  own  ?  No :  for  conscience 
cannot  be  mistaken  when  it  tells  us  of  sin,  though 
it  is  insufficient  to  reveal  to  us  duty — and  this  fierce 
clinging  to  their  own  wishes,  what  is  it  but  the  same 
obstinate  resistance  to  the  will  of  God,  which  they 
have  been  accustomed  to  blame,  nay,  even  wonder  at, 
in  the  vicious  and  criminal,  whom  they  have  perhaps 
been  seeking  to  reclaim  ?  Such  a  struggle,  it  seems, 
was  that  which  Tauler  had  to  pass  through  before  he 
could  fuUy  apprehend  or  be  fitted  for  the  work  which 
God  had  for  him  to  do.  And  surely,  without  some 
such  struggle,  none  can  keep  long  in  the  right  path. 
For  the  path  to  hfe  does  not   stretch   across   the 


MENTAL  TRIALS  141 

levels  of  habit,  but  winds  up  the  heights  of  aspiration, 
and  at  every  fresh  step  in  the  ascent  a  wider  horizon 
of  duty  opens  to  the  view. 

I  will  not  mar  the  impression  of  the  touching 
narrative  given  by  Tauler  himself  by  translating  the 
story  it  relates  into  any  weaker  words,  but  leave  it 
to  make  its  own  way  to  the  heart  of  those  who  have 
hearts  to  understand  it.  There  may  be  some  who 
are  unable  to  find  within  the  range  of  their  own  ex- 
perience and  observation  any  key  which  can  make  it 
sound  to  them  hke  reality  and  common  sense,  yet 
considering  the  practical  energy  and  clear  judgment 
of  Tauler  in  other  parts  of  his  life,  it  may  surely  be 
worth  their  pains  to  study  what  he  considered  of  so 
much  importance  with  reverent  and  self-distrustful 
dihgence,  rather  than  reject  it  at  once  as  the  mere 
product  of  a  heated  fancy. 

It  seems  most  likely  that  the  attention  of  Nicolas 
had  first  been  drawn  to  Tauler  during  the  stay  of  the 
latter  with  Henry  of  Nordlingen,  in  Basle,  in  1338  ; 
for,  according  to  one  of  the  best  MSS.  of  the 
"  History,"  the  Layman  says,  "  I  have  heard  much 
of  your  doctrine  in  my  own  country."  Considering 
what  we  know  of  his  previous  history,  and  the 
accusation  of  Nicolas  that  he  relied  too  much  on  his 
scholarship,  it  seems  highly  probable  that  Tauler 
may  hitherto  have  been  somewhat  influenced  by  the 
cast  of  thought  derived  from  his  master  Eckart,  in 
whose  writings  the  power  of  Knowing  is  so  highly 
exalted  that  it  sometimes  is  made  to  take  pre- 
cedence of  the  faculty  of  Love.  That  Nicolas 
should,  after  hearing  Tauler  preach  a  few  times, 
have  been  able  to  penetrate  his  spiritual  condition 
and  detect  its  great  imperfection,  would  not  appear 


142       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

to  imply  anything  miraculous,  but  to  be  merely  a 
rare,  though  by  no  means  singular,  instance  of  the 
fine  spiritual  instinct  sometimes  found  in  men 
themselves  of  extraordinary  religious  attainments. 
Tauler  shows  us  what  he  considers  to  have  been  the 
value  of  Nicolas  to  himself  when  he  says,  "  Therefore 
for  such  as  desire  to  live  for  the  truth,  it  is  a  great 
assistance  to  have  a  Friend  of  God,  to  whom 
they  submit  themselves,  and  who  guides  them  by 
the  Spirit  of  God.  ...  It  were  well  worth  their 
while  to  go  a  hundred  leagues  to  seek  out  an  ex- 
perienced Friend  of  God,  who  knows  the  right  path 
and  can  direct  them  in  it."* 

The  two  years  of  silence,  which  must  have  been 
such  a  terrible  trial  to  Tauler's  faith  and  obedience, 
were  compensated,  not  only  by  inward  growth,  as  is 
always  the  case  with  such  trials,  but  by  the  evident  in- 
crease of  his  outward  usefulness,  so  that  he  found  the 
truth  of  Nicolas'  assurance,  that  one  of  his  sermons 
would  bring  forth  more  fruit  now  than  a  hundred 
had  before.  His  preaching  is  distinguished  from 
that  of  most  of  his  brethren  among  the  "  Friends  of 
God,"  by  its  more  searching  application  of  religious 
principles  to  the  moral  questions  arising  in  the 
various  emergencies  of  inward  experience  and  outward 
life.  How  much  more  widely  still  must  it  have  differed 
from  that  of  the  ordinary  preachers,  who  sought  to 
captivate  the  educated  by  the  refinements  of  schol- 
astic logic,  employed  on  questions  of  no  use  but 
to  display  their  own  ingenuity,  or  to  entertain  the 
vulgar  by  marvellous  stories  of  wonder  -  working 
saints  or  demons, — when  in  simple  earnest  language 

*  First  Sermon  on  the  Birth  of  the  Virgin  [No.  127  of  the  Frankfort 
Edition,  1826]. 


TAULER'S  PREACHING  143 

he  appealed  to  the  consciences  of  his  hearers,  and 
then  showed  them  the  way  of  escape  from  the 
wretchedness  of  their  sinful  lives  to  the  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding.  And  when  he 
taught  them  that  they  must  forsake  the  creature 
and  cleave  to  God  alone,  it  was  no  selfish  shutting 
up  of  the  heart  within  the  narrow  sphere  of  its  own 
emotions  and  experiences  which  he  preached,  for  he 
is  continually  admonishing  to  works  of  love,  and 
ever  places  human  duties  on  their  true  level,  measur- 
ing their  value  not  by  the  nature  of  the  act,  but  by 
the  obedience  and  love  involved  in  its  performance. 
"  One  can  spin,"  he  says,  "  another  can  make  shoes  ; 
and  all  these  are  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  tell  you, 
if  I  were  not  a  priest,  I  would  esteem  it  a  great  gift 
that  I  was  able  to  make  shoes,  and  would  try  to  make 
them  so  well  as  to  be  a  pattern  to  all."  "  The 
measure  with  which  we  shall  be  measured,  is  the 
faculty  of  love  in  the  soul, — the  will  of  a  man  ;  by 
this  shall  all  his  words  and  works  and  life  be 
measured.  ..." 

But  that  which  seems  to  me  the  most  striking 
characteristic  of  Tauler's  sermons  is  his  profound 
sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  Christ's  life,  especially 
with  his  infinite  sorrow  over  the  sins  of  others.  This 
is,  indeed,  a  characteristic  of  the  "  Friends  of 
God "  in  general,  but  is  expressed  with  greater 
force  and  beauty  in  Tauler  than  in  the  other 
writers  of  the  same  school.  In  this  sense  they 
specially  deserve  the  title  which  they  assumed ; 
for,  more  than  any  other  class  of  rehgious  writers 
with  whom  I  am  acquainted,  do  they  seem  to  have 
entered  into  that  intense  appreciation  of  the  evil 
of  sin,  mingled  with  endless  grief  and  compassion 


144       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

for  its  slaves,  which  could  overwhelm  the  Saviour's 
mind  with  agony. 

It  is  true  that  a  large  proportion  of  his  sermons  are 
addressed  to  the  inmates  of  cloisters,  and  have  special 
reference  to  their  peculiar  requirements  and  dangers. 
But  we  must  remember  that  he  lived  in  an  age  when 
the  social  relations  were  in  a  state  of  disorganization ; 
and  in  those  times  of  general  distress  and  perplexity, 
when  the  outward  ministrations  of  the  Church  and 
the  means  of  obtaining  religious  instruction  were 
often  cut  off  for  long  together,  the  number  of  those 
who  retired  into  convents  had  become  very  large. 
There  were  great  numbers,  too,  of  laymen  and 
women,  who,  without  entering  any  Order,  withdrew 
from  the  world  and  formed  communities  or  unions 
(called  Sammenungen),  dwelling  together  without 
any  monastic  rules,  yet  differing  little  in  their 
mode  of  life  from  the  regular  monks.  Tauler  often 
refers  to  these  communities  in  his  sermons.  Their 
members  generally  chose  Dominicans  or  Francis- 
cans for  their  confessors,  and  a  great  number  of 
this  class  appear  to  have  attached  themselves  to 
Tauler.  They  found  in  him,  however,  a  severe 
censor  of  the  faults  to  which  their  recluse  life  ren- 
dered them  peculiarly  liable, — the  relpng  on  out- 
ward acts  of  piety,  despising  those  who  are  outside, 
kiUing  the  body,  which  is  God's  instrument,  with 
austerities,  or  allowing  themselves  to  waste  their 
time  and  fill  their  minds  with  trivialities,  while 
imagining  the  fact  of  their  being  "  religious "  to 
make  them  safe. 

He  is  said  by  SpeckHn  to  have  made  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  lives  of  the  clergy  a  special  object  of  his 
efforts.    The  statutes  passed  for  the  regulation  of 


MANNERS  OF  THE  CLERGY        145 

their  conduct  by  a  sjmod  convened  by  Bishop 
Berthold  in  1335,  for  the  purpose  of  removing  abuses, 
gives  a  hvely  picture  of  the  inordinate  covetousness, 
and  utter  neglect  of  the  duties  of  their  vocation, 
which  prevailed  among  the  clergy  of  Strasburg  at 
this  time.  It  is  the  more  remarkable,  that  the 
Bishop  should  have  found  it  necessary  to  take  such 
strong  measures  during  the  solemn  period  of  the  Inter- 
dict, when  the  very  struggle  in  which  the  clergy  were 
engaged  with  the  civil  power,  might  have  been  ex- 
pected at  least  to  rouse  them  to  lead  a  more  decorous 
and  sober  life.  From  the  statutes  of  this  synod,  we 
see  that  the  clergy  not  unfrequently  alienated  the 
property  of  the  Church  to  laymen,  or  borrowed 
money  at  high  interest  from  the  Jews,  in  order  to 
gratify  their  propensity  to  ostentation  and  pleasure. 
There  were  even  some  who  entered  into  trade.  The 
younger  and  more  wealthy  especially  distinguished 
themselves  by  their  extreme  fondness  for  display, 
and  the  Bishop  complains  that,  instead  of  going 
about  clad  with  due  decorum  in  the  proper  priestly 
garb,  they  allowed  their  hair  to  grow  long  in  order  to 
conceal  their  tonsure,  wore  boots  of  red,  yellow,  and 
green,  and  adorned  their  coats  with  gold  lace  and 
gay  ribbons  ;  that  they  strutted  about  in  the  streets 
equipped  with  rapiers  and  swords,  attended  tourna- 
ments, frequented  the  public  taverns,  and  were  the 
most  jovial  of  boon-companions  at  the  drinking-bouts 
of  the  laymen.  In  some  of  the  more  wealthy  nun- 
neries, too,  things  had  come  to  such  a  pitch,  that  the 
ladies  dressed  magnificently,  took  part  in  the  amuse- 
ments of  the  tournament,  and  even  danced  with 
laymen  in  their  taverns.  In  reference  to  such,  Tauler 
says :  "  If  we  look  around  us,  we  see  that  the  greater 


146       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

part  of  the  world  are  enemies  of  God ;  and  among 
these  we  must  account  certain  who  are  servants  of 
God  by  constraint,  who  must  be  forced  to  do  any  ser- 
vices for  Him,  and  the  httle  that  they  do  is  not  done 
out  of  love  or  devotion,  but  simply  out  of  fear.  .  .  . 
They  are  common  hired  servants  of  God  ;  and  such 
are  all  those  priests  and  nuns  and  the  like,  who  take 
up  a  religious  life  for  the  sake  of  revenues  and  fees, 
and  if  they  were  not  secure  of  these,  they  would  not 
serve  God  at  all,  but  turn  round  altogether,  and 
consort  with  the  enemies  of  God.  Thus  they  seek 
their  own  pleasure  in  dainty  fare,  dress,  jewels, 
vanity,  and  the  admiration  of  others,  wherever  they 
can  find  it.  Nay,  verily,  at  last  they  must  have  a 
spouse.  '  Ah,  dear  Lord,'  they  say,  '  it  is  no  harm  ; 
it  is  a  spiritual  love.  We  must  enjoy  ourselves  a 
little ;  we  must  have  some  recreation ;  we  cannot  do 
without  it.  See,  dear  Lord,  we  are  spiritual  people, 
we  are  in  an  Order.'  But  put  on  as  many  cowls  and 
hoods  as  thou  wilt,  they  will  help  thee  nothing,  if 
thou  doest  not  what  thou  oughtest  of  right  to  do. 
There  was  once  a  man  who  fell  into  sin,  and  he  put 
on  a  cowl,  but  did  not  give  up  his  sin.  The  Devil 
came  and  took  the  man,  and  tore  him  into  a  hundred 
pieces,  and  left  the  cowl  whole,  but  carried  off  the 
man,  body  and  soul,  to  the  amazement  of  all  be- 
holders. Therefore  take  heed  to  yourselves,  know- 
ing how  full  the  world  is  of  such  bargainers  with  God, 
among  monks  and  nuns."* 

Tauler's  denunciations  of  this  class  brought  him, 
of  course,  many  enemies  among  the  clergy,  who  hated 
the  strictness  of  his  principles  and  conduct ;  and  they 
strove  in  various  ways  to  distort  his  words,  in  order 

*  Sermon  for  the  Eighth  Sunday  after  Trinity. 


THEIR  RESENTMENT  147 

to  find  grounds  for  accusation  against  him.  Thus 
he  says, — "  Children,  I  must  tell  you  in  love,  that  I 
am  unjustly  accused  of  having  declared  that  I  would 
hear  no  one's  confession  unless  he  first  promised  me 
to  do  everything  that  I  wished.  That  is  a  very  un- 
just word  :  '  what  I  wished.'  I  wish  no  one  to  do 
anything  beyond  that  which  is  written,  and  I  beg 
no  man  to  promise  me  more  than  that."*  He  had 
also  to  defend  himself  against  more  serious  charges, 
for  his  enemies  not  only  ridiculed  him  for  making  so 
much  of  the  inward  work,  but  called  him  and  his 
followers  unorthodox  innovators.  Thus  he  says : 
"  But  if  one  come  and  warn  them  of  the  horrible 
danger  in  which  they  are  living,  and  what  a  fearful 
death  they  are  like  to  die,  they  mock  at  him,  and  say 
he  is  a  Beghard,  or  belongs  to  the  New  Spirit,  scoff- 
ing at  him  and  slandering  him  worse  than  ever  was 
done  to  the  Christians  by  Jews  or  heathens.  These 
false  Christians  contemn  us  far  more,  crying  out, 
'  Here  comes  one  of  the  New  Spirit ; '  '  These  are 
they  of  the  lofty  spirits.'  "f  It  is  even  related  that 
the  clergy,  enraged  at  the  charges  he  brought  against 
them,  on  one  occasion  forbade  his  preaching  (which 
undoubtedly  was  in  itself  an  act  of  disobedience  to 
the  Interdict),  but  that  the  magistrates  obliged  them 
to  rescind  their  prohibition. 

Meanwhile,  however,  Tauler's  efforts  for  their 
amendment  were  not  wholly  fruitless,  for  it  is  re- 
corded that  through  him  "  many  priests  became 
quite  pious  ;  "  while  by  the  people  at  large  he  was 
revered  and  affectionately  beloved,  and  "  whatever 
weighty  matter  the  people  had  to  do,  he  was  called 

*  Sermon  on  Assumption  Day  [No.  125  of  the  Frankfort  Edition, 
1826.] 
t  Second  Sermon  for  the  Third  Sunday  after  Trinity. 


148       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

in  to  settle  it  with  his  wisdom  .  .  .  and  whatever 
he  counselled  them  was  right  in  their  eyes."  The 
"  Friends  of  God "  naturally  attached  themselves 
more  strongly  than  ever  to  him,  and  about  this  time 
he  seems  to  have  been  the  means  of  adding  a  notable 
adherent  to  their  numbers,  in  the  banker,  Rulman 
Merswin,  who  was  at  a  later  period  the  founder  of  the 
Gruenen- Worth,  and  author  of  the  "  Book  of  the 
Nine  Rocks,"  a  very  remarkable  allegorical  picture 
of  the  then  condition  and  prospects  of  the  Church. 
Nay,  even  Bishop  Berthold  is  related  to  have  "  heard 
him  preach  often  and  gladly  with  great  "  admiration  " 
at  this  time ;  no  doubt  rejoicing  in  so  brilliant  an  ex- 
ception to  the  general  disgraceful  conduct  of  his 
clergy,  which  caused  him  so  much  uneasiness  ;  but 
the  Bishop's  favour  was  not  destined  to  endure  long, 
for  political  events  soon  occurred  which  produced  an 
entire  alteration  in  his  views. 

After  the  death  of  Benedict  XII.,  Clement  VI., 
the  most  inveterate  opponent  of  Louis  IV.,  was 
elected  Pope,  and  he  had  hardly  ascended  the  throne 
when  he  renewed  hostilities  against  the  Emperor 
with  greater  vehemence  than  his  predecessor.  The 
most  awful  anathemas  were  launched  against  Louis, 
which  again  proved  themselves  by  no  means 
inefficient  weapons  of  attack.  Many  ecclesiastics, 
secular  no  less  than  regular,  who  had  been  per- 
forming divine  service  in  the  cities  that  acknow- 
ledged the  authority  of  the  Emperor,  now  turned 
to  their  bishops,  humbly  beseeching  them  for 
absolution  for  their  disobedience,  which  petition  was 
not  rejected  ;  for  in  many  places  they  obtained  it 
without  difficulty  on  payment  of  one  florin  !  Bishop 
Berthold,  too,  whose  outward  reconciliation  with 


THE  BLACK   DEATH  149 

Louis  had  been  merely  dictated  by  motives  of  fear 
and  self-interest,  now  besought  pardon  for  it  from 
the  new  Pope  in  an  epistle  dated  November  9th, 
1345,  in  which  he  further  renounces  his  allegiance  to 
the  Emperor,  and  promises  unconditional  obedience 
to  the  Romish  See  for  the  future.  Clement  granted 
his  petition,  and  released  him  and  his  diocese  from 
ecclesiastical  penalties.  Shortly  after  (1347),  Louis 
died,  fairly  worn  out  and  broken-hearted  with  the 
long  struggle  in  which  his  reign  had  been  passed,  but 
not  until  several  of  the  Electors,  under  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  Pope,  had  elected  Charles  IV.  King  of 
Rome  {1346).  Many  of  the  Estates  refused,  how- 
ever, even  after  Louis'  death,  to  acknowledge  the 
latter,  commonly  called  the  "  Parson-King,"  because 
he  had  been  elected  in  defiance  of  their  wishes. 
Strasburg  was  one  of  these  cities,  and  in  consequence 
was  again  laid  under  interdict. 

To  these  political  and  ecclesiastical  disturbances 
were  added  still  worse  miseries.  The  land  was 
desolated  successively  by  tempests,  earthquakes, 
and  famine,  and  at  last,  in  1348,  the  Black  Death 
came  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  the  people's  woe.  This 
plague  continued  to  rage  through  Southern  Germany 
and  France  untu  the  following  year,  bringing  in  its 
train  the  usual  accompaniments  of  frantic  terror, 
and  the  dissolution  of  all  social  bonds.  In  Strasburg 
sixteen  thousand  persons  fell  victims  to  it ;  and  it  is 
calculated  that  in  Southern  France  two-thirds  of  the 
population  perished.  All  these  convulsions  of  the 
natural  and  social  world  struck  terror  to  men's  very 
hearts  ;  bewildered  and  beset,  they  knew  not  which 
way  to  turn.  Then  appeared  the  ghastly  processions 
of  the  Flagellants,  who  traversed  the  country  half 


150       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

naked  by  hundreds  and  thousands,  walking  two  and 
two  in  white  shirts  often  stained  with  blood,  and 
holding  scourges  in  their  hands.  When  they  entered 
a  town,  they  broke  out  into  their  wild  howling  chant, 

•'  Nun  hebet  auf  eure  Hände 
Dass  Gott  dies  grosse  Sterben  wende, 
Nun  hebet  auf  eure  Arme 
Dass  sich  Gott  über  uns  erbarme  ; " 

and  gathering  round  them  all  who  would  join,  after 
service  in  a  church,  threw  themselves  on  the  ground, 
confessing  their  sins  aloud,  and  then  scourged  each 
other  till  they  were  exhausted.  In  some  places  the 
popular  fanaticism  accused  the  Jews  of  causing  the 
plague  by  poisoning  the  wells  ;  and  the  multitude, 
in  their  fury,  setting  fire  to  the  Jews'  quarter,  burnt 
thousands  of  the  wretched  creatures  in  their  houses. 
Numbers  of  the  lower  classes  hoped  for  a  Messiah 
in  the  person  of  the  great  "  Priest-hater,"  Frederick 
XL,  who,  according  to  an  old  saying  now  expanded 
into  a  distinct  prophecy,  was  in  the  latter  days  to 
rise  again  from  the  dead,  to  render  justice  to  the 
widow  and  orphan,  to  punish  and  humble  the  Clergy, 
to  constrain  monks  and  nuns  to  marry,  and  then  to 
sail  over  to  the  Holy  Land  and  lay  down  his  crown 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives.*  This  was  not  the  only, 
though  it  was  the  wildest  prophecy  current  at  this 
time.  Hermann  von  Fritzlar  declares  that  the  time 
is  come  that  precedes  the  end  of  the  world  if  "  This 
time  in  which  we  are  now  living,  is  that  in  which  the 
people's  hearts  have  waxed  cold,  for  they  have 
forgotten  the  life  of  our  Lord.  Wherefore  do  arson, 
and  rape,  and  robbery,  and  treason,  and  strife,  and 

*  See  Wackernagel's   Beitraege  zur    Vaterlaendischen    Geschickte. 
Basle.     B.  ii.  S.  122. 
\  In  the  Preface  to  his  Heiligen- Leben. 


TAULER'S  DEVOTION  i5i 

envy,  and  hatred,  rage  now  as  they  never  did  before  ; 
as  Christ  Himself  foretold,  that  in  these  times  the 
love  of  many  should  wax  cold.  The  third,  and  coming 
age,  is  that  of  Anti-Christ."     And  Tauler  too,  in  his 
Sermon  on  Christ's  stilling  the  Storm,  warns  his 
flock  •  "  O  that  ye  knew  what  anguish  and  terror 
shall  shortly  seize  the  hearts  of  all  who  have  not 
cleaved  to  God  with  all  their  might,  ...  and  all 
the  evil  that  shall  overtake  them,  as  has  been  of  late 
revealed  to  the  Friends  of  God."     In  another  sermon, 
preached  before  the  coming  of  the  Black  Death,  he 
thus  recapitulates  the  judgments  of  God  that  were 
threatened  if  the  people  refused  to  repent :  "  hornble 
things  have  been  foretold,  of  fire,  of  water,  of  great 
darkness,  of  hurricanes  and  drought."     In  the  midst 
of  these  calamities  he  declaims  against  the  perverted 
lessons  drawn  from  them  by  the  people  ;  the  reck- 
lessness and  despair  of  some,  the  cravmg  of  others 
after  marvellous  visions  and  supernatural  revela- 
tions, finally  the  sinfulness  of  those  who,  seekmg 
only  to  escape  from  the  world's  evüs,  gave  them- 
selves up  to  the  passive  indulgence  of  their  own 
emotion.    The  last  error  was  that  against  which  he 
inveighed  most  frequently,  being  the  one,  no  doubt, 
of  which  his  hearers  were  most  in  danger.     He  him- 
self was  not  one  of  those  passive  mystics.     "  Works 
of  love,"  he  says,  "  are  more  acceptable  to  God  than 
lofty  contemplation  ;  art  thou  engaged  in  devoutest 
prayer,  and  God  wills  that  thou  go  out  and  preach, 
or  carry  broth  to  a  sick  brother,  thou  shouldst  do  it 

with  joy."  ,  .     ,      ,  . 

His  own  life  was  consistent  with  his  teachings. 
When  the  Black  Death  came  to  Strasburg,  he  devoted 
himself  to  administering  the  sacraments  and  carrying 


152       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

consolation  to  the  sick  and  dying.  The  renewal  of 
the  ban  had  increased  the  general  terror  and  distress, 
and  at  the  same  time  opened  a  still  larger  field  for 
Tauler's  activity.  A  proclamation  had  been  issued 
exhorting  the  people  not  to  give  way  to  terror,  as  it 
would  increase  their  danger  of  infection  ;  but  what 
could  a  proclamation  avail,  when  they  often  saw 
more  than  fifty  corpses  carried  through  the  streets 
in  a  day,  and  there  were  not  priests  enough  to 
perform  the  funeral  rites  ?  The  deeper  was  their 
gratitude  to  Tauler  for  his  noble  act  of  disobedience 
to  the  Church  that  denied  them  their  only  remaining 
consolation.  But  he  did  not  stand  alone  ;  there 
were  especially  two  monks  who  shared  his  labours, 
Thomas  of  Strasburg,  an  Augustinian  and  the  Prior- 
general  of  his  Order  in  Strasburg,  and  Ludolph  of 
Saxony,  Prior  of  the  newly-established  convent  of 
the  Carthusians.*  The  three  friends  were  not  con- 
tent with  setting  an  example  of  heroic  zeal,  they 
issued  in  their  joint  names  an  Address  to  the  clerical 
body  at  large,  showing  how  iniquitous  it  was  that 
the  poor  ignorant  people  should  be  suffered  to  die 
excommunicate  for  no  fault  of  their  own,  and  calling 
on  the  priests  to  visit  the  sick  and  dying,  and  no 
longer  to  refuse  them  the  consolation  of  religion, 
forasmuch  as  Christ  had  died  for  all  men,  and  the 
Pope  had  no  power  to  close  heaven  against  an 
innocent  person  who  should  die  under  the  Interdict. 
In  a  second  Letter  they  went  further ;  setting  forth 
the  doctrine  of  two  Swords  and  two  Powers,  the 

•  Both  these  were  also  writers  of  some  note.  The  former  was  the 
author  of  some  dry  but  learned  commentaries  on  Peter  Lombard's  Sen- 
tenets.  The  latter,  who  had  been  a  professor  in  Paris,  wrote  a  Vita 
Christi,  which  was  much  celebrated  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and  an  Ex- 
positio  in  Psalter ittm. 


TAULER    AND  HIS  FRIENDS        153 

temporal  and  the  spiritual,  and  teaching  that  the 
two  are  not  to  be  confounded,  though  they  ought 
not  to  be  set  in  opposition  to  each  other  ;  that  it  is 
indeed  the  duty  of  the  spiritual  arm  to  endeavour  to 
direct  the  secular  in  the  right  course,  but  that  if  a 
great  one  has  made  himself  liable  to  the  Interdict, 
that  does  not  give  the  spiritual  arm  any  authority  to 
curse  and  excommunicate  poor  people  who,  perhaps, 
do  not  even  know  their  guilty  lord,  still  less  whole 
cities  and  countries  without  distinction  ;  that  it 
cannot  be  proved  from  Holy  Scripture,  that  a  King, 
chosen  in  a  legal  manner  by  the  Electors,  is  to  be 
called  a  heretic  if  he  resist  the  power  of  the  Church  ; 
and  that  in  any  case,  it  is  the  Emperor  alone  who 
must  give  an  account  to  God  for  his  acts  of  insub- 
ordination, and  not  his  poor  subjects.  Therefore 
such  an  unjust  curse  as  this  Interdict  shall  be  turned 
into  a  blessing  on  the  heads  which  it  strikes  ;  and, 
for  their  oppression,  God  shall  exalt  them  on  high. 
Finally,  they  proclaimed  the  principle,  that  he  who 
professes  the  true  articles  of  the  Christian  faith,  and 
only  sins  against  the  power  of  the  Pope,  is  by  no 
means  to  be  counted  a  heretic* 

*The  following  extract  on  this  subject  is  given  in  Professor 
Schmidt's  TauUr  (p.  53),  from  Specklin's  Collectanea  : — 

"Specially  were  those  two  Articles,  which  were  quoted,  forbidden 
»nd  declared  to  be  wholly  heretical.  The  First  was,  that  seeing  that 
paany  persons,  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  men  and  women, 
innocent  and  wicked,  when  they  came  to  their  death  •  beds,  lay  under 
the  ban  on  account  of  the  Emperor  Louis,  they  had  put  forth  a  Letter 
to  all  priests,  bidding  them,  when  they  should  visit  the  sick  and  dying, 
to  comfort  the  sick  with  the  bitter  passion  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  had  therewith  made  satisfaction  before  God,  not  for  their  sins 
only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and  had  opened  heaven, 
and  reconciled  us  all  to  God.  And  the  Pope  had  no  power  to  shut 
heaven  against  poor  sinners  who  had  innocently  fallen  under  the  ban. 
Therefore,  when  one  should  confess  his  sins  and  desire  absolution  and 
the  holy  sacrament,  they  ought  to  give  it  unto  him  and  comfort  him, 
for  heed  should  be  given  rather  to   the  Word  of  Christ  and  His 


154       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

What  impression  these  free  -  spoken  writings 
made  upon  the  clergy  is  not  known  :  it  is  only 
recorded    that,    through   the   exertions    of   Tauler 

Apostles  than  to  the  ban,  which  proceeded  of  envy  and  lust  of  worldly 
power.  .  .  ,  The  Second  was,  that  they  put  forth  a  general  epistle 
(not  among  the  common  people,  but  among  the  clergy  and  the  learned 
fathers),  saying  that  there  be  two  swords,  the  spiritual  sword,  which  is 
the  Word  of  God,  and  the  other,  which  is  the  secular  government,  and 
the  one  had  nought  to  do  with  the  other.  But  since  they  are  both  of 
God,  they  cannot  be  contrary  the  one  to  the  other ;  but  the  spiritual 
shall  be  diligent  in  its  office  and  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  defend  the 
Government;  and  the  Government  shall  defend  God's  laws  and  the 
pious,  and  punish  the  wicked.  But  since  the  pious  who  preach  tlie 
Word  of  God  ought,  by  God's  ordinance,  to  be  defended  by  the  secular 
power  against  the  wicked,  wherefore,  then,  should  the  Government  be 
condemned  by  the  spiritual  power  ?  for  then  should  God  condemn  His 
own  work.  But  when  a  secular  Head  sins,  it  behoves  the  spiritual 
Head,  with  great  humility,  to  point  out  unto  the  sinner  the  right  way, 
and  with  the  rest  of  the  clergy  to  entreat  God  day  and  night  with  tears, 
that  the  sinner  may  turn  again  from  his  way,  and  come  to  a  true 
knowledge  of  his  sins ;  for  God  desireth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but 
rather  that  he  should  turn  from  his  wickedness  and  live. 

"  But  Christ,  and  the  Apostles,  and  the  Church  command  that,  if 
the  sinner,  after  much  admonition,  will  not  be  turned  from  his  ways, 
he  be  excommunicated  till  such  time  as  he  shall  be  converted  and  turn 
again  and  amend  his  life  ;  and  then  he  shall  be  again  received  unto 
grace. 

"  Much  less  doth  it  behove  a  Christian  shepherd,  if  one  be  deserving 
of  excommunication,  to  condemn  and  excommunicate  without  distinction 
innocent  persons,  who  perchance  have  never  known  or  seen  the  guilty 
man, — nay,  whole  lands,  cities,  and  villages  ;  the  which  is  not  com- 
manded by  Christ,  nor  the  Holy  Apostles,  nor  the  Councils,  but  cometh 
of  a  self- usurped  power.  For  it  is  the  office  of  the  Pope  to  point 
sinners  unto  the  true  way  of  salvation. 

"  But  that  all  those  are  heretics  who  will  not  kiss  the  Pope's  foot, 
or  that  to  do  so  should  be  an  article  of  faith,  and  that  he  is  an  apostate 
from  the  Church  who  takes  the  name  and  fulfils  the  office  of  King  or 
Emperor,  on  being  duly  appointed  thereto  by  the  Electors,  or  that 
all  who  render  obedience  to  him,  as  to  their  ruler  ordained  by  God, 
sin  against  the  Church  and  are  heretics,  cannot  be  proved  by  Holy 
Scripture. 

"The  Government  is  a  power  ordained  by  God,  unto  which  obedi- 
ence ought  to  be  rendered  in  worldly  things,  even  by  spiritual  persons, 
be  they  who  they  may.  The  Emperor  is  the  highest  magistrate, 
wherefore  obedience  is  due  to  him ;  if  he  doth  not  govern  rightly,  he, 
and  not  his  poor  subjects,  must  give  account  thereof  to  God ;  and 
even  as  God  will  not  call  the  poor  innocent  subject  to  account  for  his 
evil  ruler,  so  ought  not  man  to  condemn  and  excommunicate  the  poor 
innocent  subject  for  the  sake  of  his  ruler.  Moreover,  they  who  hold 
the  true  Christian  faith,  and  sin  only  against  the  Pope's  person,  are  no 


THEIR  BANISHMENT  155 

and  his  friends,  the  people  were  enabled  to  die  in 
peace,  and  no  longer  feared  the  ban,  whereas 
before  many  thousands  had  died  without  shrift,  in 
the  agonies  of  despair ;  whence  we  must  conclude 
that  some  of  the  other  priests  were  brought  to  see 
the  truth  of  the  principles  enunciated  by  the  three 
monks.  But  it  was  not  likely  that  such  doctrine 
would  long  be  suffered  to  work  unchecked  in  the 
public  mind.  The  Pope  soon  interfered,  and  com- 
manded the  Bishop  of  Strasburg  to  bum  the  books 
of  the  three  friends,  and  forbid  their  perusal,  whether 
by  priests  or  la5niien,  on  pain  of  excommunication. 
Berthold,  anxious  to  prove  his  devotion  to  the  Pope, 
without  delay  proceeded  to  take  stringent  measures 
against  Tauler  and  the  two  high  dignitaries  who  had 
done  such  good  service  in  his  diocese  ;  their  writings 
were  everywhere  searched  for  and  destroyed,  and 
they  themselves  were  expelled  from  the  city.  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  Henry  of  Nordlingen 
should  write  word  that  his  "  Brother  Tauler  is  now 
constantly  in  great  sorrow,"  when  he  was  thus  driven 
from  the  field  of  faithful  labours  at  the  very  moment 
of  their  greatest  necessity.  But  he  did  not  lose 
courage  ;  with  his  two  friends  he  retired  into  the 

heretics  ;  but  he  were  a  heretic  who,  after  much  admonition,  should 
stiffneckedly  disobey  the  Word  of  God,  and  would  not  amend  his  life ; 
for  not  even  a  murderer,  a  rogue,  a  thief,  or  an  adulterer,  who  should  ask 
pardon  through  Christ  with  true  penitence  and  contrition,  and  amend 
his  life,  can  be  cast  out  of  the  Church. 

"  Hence  it  is  concluded,  that  all  those  who  unjustly  and  innocently 
have  come  under  the  Ban,  are  free  before  God,  and  their  curse  will  hie 
turned  into  a  blessing,  and  their  ban  and  yoke  of  oppression  will  God 
lift  off;  even  as  Christ  did  not  set  Himself  against  the  secular  power 
when  He  said,  '  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,'  even  as  He  was 
obedient  to  the  Government,  though  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  com- 
manding men  to  render  to  God  the  things  that  be  God's,  and  to 
Cjesar  the  things  that  be  Caesar's.  Now  our  souls  belong  to  God  ;  our 
bodies  and  goods  unto  Caesar.  All  this  was  much  better  set  forth  in 
more  words." 


156       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

neighbouring  Carthusian  convent,  of  which  Ludolph 
was  Prior,  whence  they  continued  to  diffuse  their 
writings. 

During  the  time  of  their  seclusion,  Strasburg  was 
visited  by  the  Emperor  Charles  IV.,  who  was  making 
the  circuit  of  the  Rhenish  cities,  to  induce  the 
citizens  to  acknowledge  him  as  King  of  Rome. 
Bishop  Berthold  had  already  conjured  the  members 
of  the  Rhenish  Estates  assembled  at  Strasburg,  for 
the  sake  of  the  public  peace,  to  do  allegiance  to  the 
Emperor  whom  they  despised.  Charles  w?s  there- 
fore received  with  royal  honours,  and  invested  the 
Bishop  with  the  imperial  fief,  after  receiving  his 
solemn  homage ;  but  he  was  obliged  to  promise  the 
citizens  that  he  would  procure  the  removal  of  the 
Interdict,  for  only  on  this  condition  would  they 
acknowledge  him.  From  Strasburg  Charles  pro- 
ceeded to  Basle,  where  he  met  the  Pope's  Envoy 
bringing  a  commission  to  the  Bishop  of  Bamberg  to 
absolve  the  cities  that  should  acknowledge  the 
Emperor.  But  the  terms  of  the  Bull  to  this  effect, 
in  which  Louis  was  called  a  heretic,  and  the  cities 
were  required  to  express  their  contrition  for  their 
fidelity  to  him,  irritated  the  burghers  to  the  highest 
degree,  and  they  refused  to  swear  to  the  formula  of 
absolution  when  it  was  read  to  them.  Nevertheless, 
as  the  Emperor  stood  in  need  of  their  services,  the 
Interdict  was  removed.  The  Bishop  of  Bamberg 
next  repaired,  in  his  quality  of  Papal  Legate,  to 
Strasburg,  to  proclaim  the  Absolution  there.  The 
citizens  were  assembled  before  the  Cathedral,  then 
rising  in  its  new  glories.  From  the  steps  of  the 
western  door  the  Legate  read  the  Bull  in  their  ears, 
and  then  asked  the  Senate  and  commoners  if  they 


INTERVIEW  WITH   CHARLES      i57 

desired  absolution  ?  Peter  Schwarber,  the  Mayor, 
replied,  "  Yes,"  in  the  name  of  all ;  and  the  Bishop 
immediately  pronounced  the  Absolution.  On  this 
the  Bishop  Berthold,  turning  to  the  Mayor,  said, 
*'  Master  Schwarber,  once  you  helped  to  force  us  to 
pay  homage  to  the  heretic  Louis  ;  and  now  that  he  is 
dead  you  yourself  hold  him  to  be  a  heretic."  But 
the  Mayor  repUed,  "  My  Lord  Bishop,  I  have  never 
accounted  the  Emperor  Louis  a  heretic."  "  How  I  " 
exclaimed  Berthold,  "  have  you  not  just  declared 
him  such  ?  "  "  No,"  said  Schwarber  :  "  the  Bishop 
of  Bamberg  asked  if  we  desired  absolution  ?  and  to 
this  I  said,  '  Yes,'  in  the  name  of  all.  Had  he  asked 
whether  we  believed  and  would  observe  all  the 
articles  he  read  to  us,  we  should  have  given  him  a 
very  different  answer." 

During  the  visit  of  the  Emperor  to  Strasburg  he 
heard  much  talk  of  Tauler  and  his  friends,  and  their 
free  opinions,  and  sent  for  them  to  hear  their  defence. 
They  read  before  him  their  confession  of  faith,  and  un- 
shrinkingly declared  their  adherence  to  all  that  they 
had  hitherto  taught.  Tauler,  especially,  was  not  a 
man  to  quail  before  a  temporal  sovereign  after  he  had 
braved  the  more  formidable  terrors  of  the  spiritual 
power ;  moreover,  we  find  that  he  did  not  scruple 
occasionally  in  his  sermons  to  rebuke  the  oppression 
of  the  people  by  their  rulers  *  ;  and  he  openly  told  the 
Emperor  wherefore  he  was  banished .    The  arguments 

*  Thus,  he  says  in  his  Sermon  on  the  Twenty-first  Sunday  after 
Trimly  •.-"Now  the  Apostle  tells  us  to  contend  against  prmces  and 
powerl  and  the  rulers  ofthe  darkness  of  this  world  This  means  the 
devils ;  but  it  means  also  the  princes  of  this  world,  who  ought  to  be 
the  best  of  all,  and  are  nevertheless  the  very  horses  on  which  he  devils 
ride  to  sow  discord  and  treason,  and  who  torment  their  subjects  by  their 
pride  and  unjust  tyranny  and  manifold  oppressions,  as  we  now  sec 
throughout  the  world." 


158       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

of  the  three  monks  produced  such  an  impres- 
sion upon  Charles,  that  he  is  said  to  have  declared 
himself  "  sheer  of  their  opinion,"  and  expressed  his 
desire  that  no  further  proceedings  should  be  taken 
against  them.  Nevertheless  the  Bishops  present 
condemned,  as  heretical,  the  doctrines  we  have 
already  mentioned  as  contained  in  their  writings, 
commanded  them  no  longer  so  wickedly  to  withstand 
the  Church  and  her  Interdict,  enjoined  them  to  issue 
a  public  recantation,  and  for  the  future  to  write 
nothing  more  of  the  like  nature  on  pain  of  excom- 
munication. Specklin  declares  that  they  went  on 
and  wrote  still  better  than  before  ;  but  nothing 
more  is  known  of  the  matter  beyond  this  meagre 
statement  of  his. 

From  this  time  forward,  Tauler  disappears  from 
the  history  of  his  native  city,  until  a  short  time  before 
his  death.  It  is  said  that,  since  the  Emperor  and 
Bishops  forbade  him  to  write,  he  forsook  Strasburg, 
after  having  spread  much  good  doctrine  abroad  in 
Alsace.  His  name  was  held  in  grateful  remembrance, 
not  only  by  the  "  Friends  of  God,"  but  by  all  his 
fellow-citizens,  for  whom  he  had  faithfully  laboured 
and  suffered  during  the  whole  period  of  their  troubles ; 
but  he  needed  a  sphere  of  greater  freedom,  and  there- 
fore took  up  his  residence  in  Cologne,  a  city  already 
familiar  to  him,  and  where  he  found  numerous 
brethren  in  spirit.  Here  he  commonly  preached  in 
the  church  of  St.  Gertrude,  belonging  to  a  convent 
of  Dominican  nuns,  whose  numbers  were  much  in- 
creased by  the  desire  of  having  Tauler  for  a  preacher 
and  confessor.  Among  these  sisters,  however,  their 
original  strictness  of  manners  no  longer  prevailed, 
and  Tauler  often  found  occasion  in  his  sermons  to 


OPPOSES  BEGHARDS  159 

lament  the  decay  of  conventual  discipline.  The 
younger  sisters  too  often  brought  with  them  from 
the  world  their  love  of  society  and  amusements,  and 
were  strengthened  in  these  tastes  by  their  intercourse 
with  the  older  nuns  ;  for  most  of  them  thought  more 
of  dress  and  trinkets  than  of  devout  exercises  and 
self-denial,  so  that  Tauler  tells  them  that  all  their 
piety  is  a  mere  outward  semblance,  and  that  many 
laywomen  are  much  farther  advanced  in  holiness 
than  they.  Tauler  not  only  displayed  his  customary 
zeal  in  restoring  a  severer  discipline,  but  endeavoured 
to  substitute  for  these  mere  outward  works  of  piety 
the  spiritual,  which  he  regarded  as  the  only  true 
service  of  God.  He  sought  also,  while  in  Cologne,  to 
combat  the  pantheistic  enthusiasm  of  the  Beghards, 
who  had  been  extremely  numerous  in  this  city  ever 
since  the  commencement  of  the  century,  and,  not- 
withstanding, or  perhaps  rather  favoured  by,  frequent 
persecutions,  in  which  many  of  their  members  were 
burnt  at  the  stake,  were  continuing  to  make  progress 
during  this  age  of  anarchy.*     In  the  year   1357 

*  I  give  the  follo\ving  passage  from  his  Sermon  on  the  First  Sunday 
in  Lent  [No.  31,  Frankfort  Edition,  1826],  as  showing,  more  distinctly 
than  any  other  I  have  found,  the  position  in  which  he  stood  towards 
the  antinomian  doctrines  of  the  Beghards,  and  as  furnishing  the  most 
complete  refutation  of  the  charge  of  antinomian  tendencies  sometimes 
brought  against  his  own  preaching  :  — 

"  From  these  two  errors  proceedeth  the  third,  which  is  the  worst  of 
all ;  the  persons  who  are  entangled  therein  call  themselves  beholders 
of  God,  and  they  may  be  known  by  the  carnal  peace  which  they  have 
through  their  emptiness.  They  think  that  they  are  free  from  sin,  and 
are  united  to  God  without  any  means  whatsoever,  and  that  they  have 
got  above  all  subjection  to  the  Holy  Church,  and  above  the  command- 
ments of  God,  and  above  all  works  of  virtue  ;  for  they  think  this 
emptiness  to  be  so  noble  a  thing  that  it  may  not  be  hindered  by  aught 
else,  whatsoever  it  be.  Hence  they  stand  empty  of  all  subjection,  and 
do  no  works  either  towards  them  who  are  above  or  below  them,  even 
as  an  instrument  is  empty,  and  waiteth  on  the  master  when  he  shall 
choose  to  work  therewith  ;  for  they  deem  that  if  they  work,  it  hindereth 
the  work  of  God,  and  therefore  they  empty  themselves  of  all  virtue. 


i6o       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

(therefore  during  Tauler's  residence  in  Cologne), 
the  Archbishop,  Wilham  of  Gennep,  instituted  a  fresh 
search  after  them,  and  commanded  the  clergy  of  his 

Nay,  they  would  be  so  empty,  that  they  would  not  give  praise  or  thanks 
to  God,  nor  have,  nor  confess,  nor  love,  nor  desire,  nor  pray  for  any- 
thing ;  for  they  have  already,  as  they  suppose,  all  that  they  could  pray 
for ;  and  think  that  they  are  poor  in  spirit,  for  that  they  are,  as  they 
dream,  without  all  self-will,  and  have  renounced  all  ownership  wholly 
and  without  reserve.  For  they  believe  that  they  have  risen  above  it, 
and  that  they  possess  all  those  things  for  the  sake  of  which  the  ordin» 
ances  and  precepts  of  the  Church  were  appointed  and  established,  and 
that  none  can  give  or  take  from  them,  not  even  God  Himself,  since 
they  think  that  they  have  suffered  all  exercises  and  all  virtues,  and 
have  attained  to  pure  emptiness  of  spirit ;  and  they  say  it  requireth 
more  pains  to  become  empty  of  virtue  than  to  attain  unto  virtue.  For 
the  sake  of  this  emptiness  of  spirit,  they  desire  to  be  free,  and  obedient 
to  none,  neither  the  Pope,  nor  the  Bishop,  nor  the  Pastor  ;  and  though 
they  may  seem  outwardly  to  be  so  at  times,  yet  are  they  inwardly 
obedient  to  none,  neither  in  will  nor  deed.  For  they  would  fain  be 
free  from  all  those  things  wherewith  the  Holy  Church  is  concerned  ; 
and  they  say  openly  that  a  man,  so  long  as  he  strives  after  virtue,  is 
still  imperfect,  and  knows  nought  of  spiritual  poverty  and  spiritual 
freedom.  And  they  deem  themselves  exalted  above  the  angels,  and 
above  all  human  merit  and  faith,  so  that  they  can  neither  increase  in 
virtue  nor  commit  sin  ;  for  they  live,  as  they  suppose,  without  will,  and 
possess  their  spirits  in  peace  and  emptiness,  and  have  become  nought 
in  themselves  and  one  with  God.  They  believe  that  they  may  do 
freely,  without  sin,  whatsoever  nature  desireth,  because  they  have 
attained  to  the  highest  innocence,  and  there  is  no  law  or  commandment 
for  them,  and  therefore  they  follow  all  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  that  the 
emptiness  of  the  spirit  may  remain  unhindered.  They  care  not  for 
fasts,  nor  feasts,  nor  precepts,  except  so  far  as  they  may  observe  them 
for  the  sake  of  others,  because  they  live  without  conscience  in  all  things. 
Let  each  man  examine  himself  whether  he  be  not  one  of  these.  But 
a  murderer,  or  any  open  sinner,  is  better  than  such  spiritual  men,  for 
he  confesses  his  misdeed  that  it  is  evil ;  but  these  confess  it  not.  Hardly 
are  they  to  be  converted ;  and  at  times  they  are  verily  possessed  by 
the  Devil.  They  are,  moreover,  so  ingenious  that  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  overcome  them  in  discourse,  save  by  the  life  of  Christ  and  Holy 
Scripture  :  through  these  may  one  well  discern  that  they  are  deceived. 
•'  Now  Cometh  the  fourth  error.  Many  be  also  called  beholders  of  God 
who  are  yet  different  in  some  points  from  what  we  have  just  said. 
These  also  think  that  they  are  empty  of  all  works,  and  are  tools  of  God 
by  whom  God  works  whatsoever  He  will,  and  they  merely  suffer  Him, 
without  working  themselves  ;  and  they  say  that  the  works  wrought  of 
God  through  them  are  more  noble  and  of  greater  merit  than  those  of 
a  man  who  worketh  his  own  works  in  the  grace  of  God  ;  and  declare 
that  they  are  God-suffering  men,  for  they  do  but  suffer  the  works  that 
God  worketh  in  them.  But  although  they  are  empty  of  the  works, 
and  do  nought,  yet  will  they  not  be  empty  of  and  miss  the  reward ; 


THE  ANTINOMIAN  SECTS  i6i 

diocese  strictly  to  enforce  the  statutes  of  his  pre- 
decessors against  them.  Tauler,  however,  though  a 
Dominican,  never  took  part  in  any  act  of  persecution  ; 
the  profound  spiritual  struggles  through  which  he 
had  had  to  pass,  had  taught  him  how  deep  the  roots 
of  belief  lay  beneath  those  regions  of  the  soul  that 
can  be  reached  by  outward  weapons  ;  and  when  he 
speaks  of  the  "  Free  Spirits,"  it  is  to  show  the  error 
of  their  doctrines,  not  to  demand  their  extirpation. 

and  whatever  they  do  is  no  sin,  for  God  worketh  their  works,  as  they 
say,  and  whatsoever  He  wills  is  wrought  in  them,  and  nought  else,  and, 
as  we  said,  inwardly  they  are  wholly  passive,  and  live  without  care  for 
anything  ;  and  they  have  a  humble,  submissive  manner,  and  can  bear 
well  whatsoever  befalls  them,  for  they  think  themselves  to  be  an 
instrument  through  which  God  worketh  as  He  will.  These  people 
are,  in  many  points,  like  unto  the  true  men  ;  but  in  this  are  they  false, 
that  they  hold  everything  whereunto  they  are  inwardly  impelled, 
whether  good  or  bad,  to  proceed  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  the 
Holy  Spirit  worketh  never  unprofitable  things  in  a  man,  such  as  be 
contrary  to  the  life  of  Christ  or  Holy  Scripture,  and  therefore  are  they 
deceived.  These  men  are  very  hard  to  discover,  for  they  can  give 
good  reasons  for,  and  put  a  fair  face  on  all  they  do ;  but  they  may  be 
known  by  their  stubborn  self-will,  that  they  would  rather  die  than  give 
up  one  tittle  of  their  own  way.  These  are  contrary  to  them  who  say 
that  they  cannot  increase  in  virtue  ;  but  they  deserve  the  same  measure. 
Behold  all  such  errors  are  messengers  of  Antichrist,  preparing  the  way 
before  him  unto  unbelief  and  damnation. 

"  Now  it  concerns  us  somewhat  to  know  how  we  may  escape  these 
cunning  snares.  No  man  may  be  free  from  keeping  the  commandments 
of  God,  and  from  the  practice  of  virtue.  No  man  can  unite  himself  to 
God  in  emptiness  of  spirit,  without  loving  and  longing  after  God.  No 
man  can  be  or  become  holy  without  good  works.  No  man  can  rest  in 
God  without  the  love  of  God.  No  man  may  empty  himself  of  godly 
works  that  he  may  not  hinder  God  in  His  works,  but  must  work  with 
Him  in  thankfulness.  No  man  may  serve  God  without  praising  and 
thanking  Him  ;  for  He  is  the  Maker  of  all  creatures,  and  He  alone  can 
give  and  take,  for  of  His  riches  and  might  there  is  no  end.  And  a 
man  may  increase  in  virtue  and  goodness,  and  may  exercise  himself 
therein  as  long  as  he  lives  ;  and  no  man  deserveth  more  reward,  though 
he  think  that  he  merely  suffer  the  works  of  God  to  be  wrought  in  him. 
The  works  of  God  are  eternal  and  unchangeable ;  for  He  worketh 
according  to  His  own  nature,  and  not  otherwise ;  and  in  these  works 
of  God  there  can  be  no  merit  and  adding  thereunto  of  any  creature, 
for  there  is  none  but  God  who  cannot  become  more  or  higher ;  but 
through  the  power  of  God  the  creatures  have  their  own  work  to 
perform,  in  nature,  and  in  grace,  and  in  glory." 


i62        TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

Indeed,  his  writings,  and  those  of  his  disciple  Rulman 
Merswin,  exhibit  in  this  respect  a  Christian  largeness 
of  heart  in  great  contrast  to  the  prevailing  spirit  of  his 
Order.  They  more  than  once  maintain  the  salvation 
of  those  who  are  in  error  from  ignorance,  and  declare 
that  their  desire  to  believe  what  is  true  is  accepted  by 
God  in  place  of  a  correct  belief,  and  that  thus  many 
heathen  and  Jews  are  saved  now  as  weU  as  before 
the  coming  of  Christ.  Rulman  Merswin  ascribes  the 
terrible  persecution  of  the  Jews,  then  raging,  to  the 
covetousness  of  the  Christians.* 

*  The  following  curious  passage  is  extracted  from  Rulman  Merswin's 
Book  of  the  Nine  Rocks ;  but  many  passages  in  Tauler's  sermons  show 
that  his  sentiments  were  quite  in  harmony  with  those  here  expressed  : — 

"  The  Man  said  :  '  Ah,  my  Beloved,  have  mercy  upon  poor  Christen- 
dom, and  remember  how  that  the  wicked  Jewish  people  and  the  wicked 
heathen  folk  are  all  striving  against  thee  with  all  their  might,  and  shall 
all  be  lost.'  The  Answer  said  :  '  I  tell  thee  thou  art  right  when  thou 
prayest  God  to  have  mercy  upon  poor  Christendom  ;  for  know  that  for 
many  hundred  years  Christendom  has  never  been  so  poor  or  so  wicked 
as  in  these  times  ;  but  I  tell  thee,  whereas  thou  sayest  that  the  wicked 
Jews  and  heathen  are  all  lost,  that  is  not  true :  I  tell  thee,  in  these 
days,  there  is  a  portion  of  the  heathen  and  the  Jews  whom  God  pre- 
ferreth  greatly  to  many  who  bear  the  Christian  name,  and  yet  live 
contrary  to  all  Christian  order.'  The  Man:  '.  .  .  What  strange 
speech  is  this  that  I  hear,  and  what  may  it  mean?'  The  Answer  : 
♦ .  .  .  The  meaning  is,  that  where  a  Jew  or  heathen,  in  any  part  of 
the  world,  hath  a  good.  God-fearing  mind  in  him,  in  simplicity  and 
honesty,  and  in  his  reason  and  judgment  knoweth  no  better  faith  than 
that  in  which  he  was  bom,  but  were  minded  and  willing  to  cast  that 
off,  if  he  were  given  to  know  any  other  faith  that  were  more  acceptable 
to  God,  and  would  obey  God,  if  he  ventured  body  and  goods  therefor  ; 
— I  tell  thee,  where  there  is  a  Jew  or  heathen  thus  earnest  in  his  life — 
say,  ought  he  not  to  be  much  dearer  to  God  than  the  evil,  false 
Christian  men  who  have  received  baptism,  and  act  contrary  to  God, 
knowing  that  they  do  so?'  ...  The  Man  :  .  .  .  'This  seemeth  to 
me  most  strange,  ...  for  it  is  written  in  the  Scripture,  and  is  also  a 
part  of  our  Christian  creed,  that  no  one  can  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  unless  he  first  receive  holy  baptism.'  The  Answer  :  '  That  is 
true,  and  the  right  Christian  faith.  .  .  .  When  God  findeth  such  a 
righteous  heathen  or  Jew,  what  doth  He  do?  Of  His  free  love 
and  fathomless  mercy.  He  cometh  to  his  help  :  I  tell  thee  God  findeth 
many  secret  ways  that  such  a  man  be  not  lost,  wherever  he  may  be  in 
this  wide  world.'  .  .  .  The  Man  :  'Say!  how  are  these  unbaptized 
men  saved  from  perdition?'  The  Answer:  'God  doth  it  by  many 
secret  ways,  which  are  unknown  to  most  Christians  in  these  days.  .  .  . 


TAULER'S  WRITINGS  163 

Tanler  continued  to  correspond  with  Nicolas  of 
Basle.  In  the  year  1356  the  latter  sent  him  a 
pamphlet,  in  which,  on  the  strength  of  a  warning 
vision,  he  bewails  the  sinfulness  of  the  times,  and 
foretells  the  coming  of  fresh  calamities,  of  which  the 
great  earthquake  that  destroyed  Basle  in  the  same 
year  was  regarded  as  the  commencement.  No  details 
of  Tauler's  work  in  Cologne  have  been  preserved  to 
us.  It  is  not  even  known  whether  the  composition 
of  his  chief  work,  the  "  Imitation  of  Christ's  Ufe  of 
Poverty,"  is  to  be  referred  to  this  period  or  to  that 
of  his  seclusion  in  the  Carthusian  Convent  at  Stras- 
burg. In  this  work  he  sets  forth  the  theory  and 
practice  of  self-renunciation  in  order  to  union  with 
God.  In  point  of  language  and  composition,  it  is 
superior  to  his  Sermons,  nearly  all  of  which  seem  to 
be  derived  from  mere  notes  taken  by  his  hearers 
with  more  or  less  correctness.*     It  is  interesting  to 

Oneway,  which  Christendom  may  well  believe  and  does  believe,  is, 
that  when  one  of  these  good  heathens  or  Jews  cometh  to  his  end,  God 
Cometh  and  enlighteneth  him  with  the  Christian  faith  ;  .  .  .  and  if  he 
may  not  be  baptized,  God  baptizes  him  in  his  good  desires  and  will, 
and  in  his  miserable  death.  Thou  shalt  know  that  there  be  many  of 
these  good  heathens  and  Jews  in  eternal  life,  who  have  entered  thereon 
in  this  wise.'  .  .  ." 

♦  It  has  been  often  questioned  whether  the  Latin  or  the  German  form 
in  which  we  possess  Tauler's  sermons  be  the  original.  On  this  point 
I  transcribe  Professor  Schmidt's  arguments,  which  seem  to  me  quite 
conclusive : — 

"There  can  be  no  question  that  Tauler  delivered  his  sermons  in 
German,  and  that  this  language  is  the  original  one  of  all  the  sermons 
of  his  which  we  still  possess.  After  his  connection  with  Nicolas  of 
Basle,  he  had  himself  declared  that  he  did  not  intend  henceforward  to 
speak  so  much  Latin  in  his  sermons.  The  greater  part  of  those  still 
extant  are,  indeed,  addressed  in  the  first  instance  to  the  brethren  or 
sisters  in  whose  convent-chapels  he  used  to  preach,  but  also  have  a 
reference  to  the  laity,  who  usually  assembled  in  great  numbers  in  these 
churches  to  hear  him  ;  and  to  be  intelligible  to  such  an  audience  he 
must  have  spoken  in  the  vernacular  :  it  was  only  in  the  School  attached 
to  his  own  convent  that  he  spoke  in  Latin.  The  language  itself  of 
Tauler's  sermons  and  writings  is,  besides,  a  sufficient  proof  that  they 


i64       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND    TIMES 

compare  his  view  of  poverty  vdth  that  of  the  Spiritual 
Franciscans,  who  taught  that,  to  any  high  attain- 
ment in  the  Christian  hfe,  a  Hteral  renunciation 
of  all  property  was  absolutely  necessary.  Tauler, 
while  assuming  the  excellence  of  this  external  poverty, 
as  releasing  the  Christian  from  many  cares  and 
temptations  to  anxiety,  shows  that  the  essence  of 
the  poverty  of  Christ  did  not,  as  they  taught,  lie  in 
this  privation  of  earthly  wealth,  but  in  the  poorness 
of  the  spirit  that  calls  nothing  its  own,  because  itself 
and  aU  that  it  has  are  God's,  and  held  in  trust  for 
Him. 

Of  Tauler's  history  we  know  no  more  till  we  find 
him  at  Strasburg,  in  1361,  already  labouring  under 
the  illness  which  closed  his  life.  There  are  no  in- 
dications of  the  date  or  the  reason  of  his  return  to 
his  old  home.  We  are  only  told  that,  after  a  long 
life  of  toilsome  yet  fruitful  labour,  he  was  attacked, 


were  composed  in  German  ;  for  they  exhibit  the  most  complete  adapta- 
tion of  the  thought  to  the  form  in  which  it  is  conveyed ;  a  form,  more- 
over, that  Tauler  had  to  a  considerable  extent  to  create  for  himself. 
Up  to  his  day,  the  German  language  had  been  little  used  for  theological 
and  metaphysical  subjects,  and  was  poor  in  terms  to  express  any 
notions  beyond  those  living  in  the  popular  mind,  so  that  the  writers  of 
his  school  (in  bringing  the  higher  and  more  spiritual  truths  of  religion 
down  to  the  level  of  popular  apprehension)  had  to  frame  for  themselves 
a  terminology  of  their  own,  whose  constituents  they  borrowed  partly 
from  the  Latin  of  the  Schools,  partly  from  figurative,  mostly  biblical, 
forms  of  speech.  Tauler  often  avails  himself  of  such  German  scholastic 
terms  to  express  abstract  notions :  as,  for  instance,  Istekeit  (essentia), 
Eigens  haft  licheit,  Creaturlicheit,  Unserheit,  Smsheit,  Holtzheit.  So, 
too,  be  often  speaks  by  images,  in  order  to  express  spiritual  facts  or 
metaphysical  ideas,  for  which  the  language  either  possessed  no  words 
as  yet,  or  which  in  themselves  were  too  vague  to  be  expressed  in  a 
clear  and  distinct  mode.  All  this  indicates  a  laborious  wrestling  of 
the  thought  with  the  language.  .  .  .  Hence,  also,  the  partial  obscurity 
of  Tauler's  style,  which  is  incurred  by  the  pains  he  took  to  attain  a 
terse  purity  by  forming  substantives  made  up  of  whole  propositions : 
as,  for  instance,  *  ein  einvaltiges  griintlich-uf-got-sich-lossen.''  .  .  . 
Tauier  and  his  school  have,  however,  the  merit  of  having  given  to  their 
nation  a  philosophical  language."     (See  Schmidt's  Tauler,  S.  78.) 


TAULER'S   DEATH  165 

at  seventy  years  of  age,  by  a  lingering  disease, 
attended  with  great  suffering.  During  his  illness  he 
caused  himself  to  be  removed  to  the  convent  where 
his  aged  sister  was  a  nun,  that  she  might  be  with 
him  and  tend  him  to  the  last, — an  act  which  is 
enumerated  as  one  of  his  faults,  by  one  of  the  writers 
of  his  school,  who  calls  it  seeking  for  too  much 
natural  help  and  comfort. 

After  twenty  weeks  of  pain,  he  sent  for  his  mys- 
terious friend,  and  begged  him  to  visit  him  once  more, 
for  he  perceived  that  his  end  was  nigh.  The  man 
was  obedient,  and  came  to  the  Master,  who  received 
him  full  lovingly  ;  and  the  man  was  glad  that  he 
found  him  yet  aUve,  and  said,  "  Dear  Master,  how 
fares  it  with  thee  ?  "  Then  said  the  Master,  "  Dear 
son,  I  beheve  the  time  is  near  when  God  is  minded  to 
take  me  from  this  world  ;  therefore,  dear  son,  it  is  a 
great  comfort  to  me  that  thou  shouldst  be  here  at  my 
departure."  On  this,  Tauler  gave  him  some  papers,  in 
which  he  had  written  down  the  discourse  which  they 
had  had  together  twenty  years  before,  and  begged 
Nicolas  to  make  a  little  book  of  it,  which  the  latter 
promised  him  to  do.  But  Tauler  earnestly  enjoined 
him  to  conceal  both  their  names  ;  "  for,"  he  says, 
"  thou  must  surely  know  that  the  life  and  words  and 
works  which  God  hath  wrought  through  me,  a  poor 
unworthy  sinner,  are  not  mine,  but  wrought  by  the 
power  of  the  Almighty  God,  to  whom  they  eternally 
belong.  Therefore,  dear  son,  if  thou  art  minded  to 
write  them  for  the  benefit  of  our  fellow-Christians, 
do  it  in  such  a  manner  that  neither  my  name  nor 
thine  be  mentioned  therein.  Thou  mayst  say,  '  The 
Master  and  the  Man.'  Neither  shalt  thou  let  any 
one  in  this  city  see  the  book,  else  people  will  mark 


i66       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

that  it  was  I  ;  but  take  it  with  thee  into  thine  own 
country,  so  that  it  do  not  come  out  during  my  Hfe." 
For  yet  eleven  days,  it  is  said  that  they  held  much 
discourse  together  ;  and  then,  under  circumstances 
of  extraordinary  suffering,  the  faithful  servant 
yielded  up  his  spirit  to  God,  on  the  i6th  of  June 
1361.  He  was  buried  in  his  own  convent.  The 
stone  which  formerly  covered  his  grave  has  been 
recently  set  up  by  the  Protestants  in  the  church  in 
which  he  warned  and  consoled  his  brethren  more 
than  five  hundred  years  ago  by  word  of  mouth,  as 
he  teaches  us,  who  are  now  living,  by  the  written 
record  of  those  words. 

Here  ends  our  proper  task  ;  but  it  can  hardly,  I 
think,  be  without  interest  to  the  reader  to  learn  a 
few  more  particulars  about  the  remarkable  set  of  men 
to  which  Tauler  belonged,  especially  concerning  the 
great  Layman  who  had  so  powerful  an  influence  on 
his  career,  and  the  disciple  and  bosom  friend  of  both 
successively,  Rulman  Merswin,  who  appears  to  stand 
third  in  rank  in  this  group  of  "  Friends  of  God." 
From  the  account  of  him  given  in  the  "  Memorial " 
of  the  Gruenen-Worth  Convent,  it  appears  that  he 
was  originally  a  wealthy  merchant  and  money- 
changer, "  but  always  conducted  his  business  with 
great  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes,  and  with  scrupu- 
lous probity,  and  stood  well  with  the  world,  and  was 
of  a  very  merry  and  pleasant  temper,  so  that  many 
esteemed  and  loved  him,  and  sought  his  society, 
which  was  to  himself  also  very  agreeable  in  those 
days.  And  he  had  at  the  first  an  exceeding  beautiful 
and  sweet  young  wife  ;  but  when  they  had  lived  but 
a  short  time  together,  she  died ;   and  after  that,  he 


RULMAN   MERSWIN  167 

took  another  wife,  the  daughter  of  a  pious  knight. 
And  when  they  had  hved  many  years  together 
according  to  Christian  ordinances,  and  he  was  now 
forty  years  old,  and  God  saw  not  fit  to  give  him  a 
child  by  either  wife,  he  turned  with  his  whole  heart 
to  God,  and  gave  up  his  trade,  and  forsook  the  world, 
and  led  a  single  life  henceforward,  with  the  will  and 
consent  of  his  wife,  who  was  an  honourable  simple- 
minded  Christian  woman." 

His  own  account  of  the  next  four  years  of  his  life, 
now  printed  for  the  first  time  from  the  MS.  in  his 
own  handwriting,  is  a  very  curious  and  interesting 
document,  in  the  vivid  picture  it  gives  of  the  inward 
struggles  which  this  determination  brought  upon 
him  ;  and  however  clearly  we  may  perceive  that 
many  of  his  difficulties  arose  from  the  mistaken 
view  of  his  social  duties  derived  from  the  teachings 
of  his  church,  it  is  impossible  not  to  admire  the  simple 
directness  of  purpose  and  intense  earnestness  with 
which  he  strove  to  follow  every  indication  he  could 
perceive  of  the  will  of  God.  I  give  a  few  passages 
from  it,  taking  the  liberty  to  omit  the  perpetual 
repetitions,  which  would  render  an  absolutely 
literal  translation  quite  unreadable.  Indeed,  Rul- 
man's  style,  both  in  this  and  his  other  productions, 
has  all  the  awkwardness,  circumlocution,  and  taut- 
ology, which  usually  characterize  the  efforts  of  an 
utterly  unlearned  person  to  express  himself. 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen !  All  ye  dear 
Christian  men,  I  give  you  truly  to  know  that  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1347,  it  came  to  pass  that  I,  Rulman 
Merswin,  renounced  all  my  traffic  and  gains,  and 
moreover  aU  natural  pleasant  companionship  ;  the 
which  I  did  with  good  courage  for  God's  sake,  to 


i68       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

the  sole  end  that  I  might  atone  for  my  sins.  Now, 
though  I  had  taken  this  first  step  with  good  courage, 
and  of  my  own  free  choice  had  given  myself  to  God, 
yet  it  was  with  great  sorrow  to  my  nature  afterwards  ; 
for  I  had  enjoyed  great  happiness  in  the  good  things 
of  this  world."  After  describing  the  dreadful 
anguish  of  mind  he  had  to  endure  on  account  of  his 
sins,  and  the  spiritual  joys  with  which  it  alternated, 
he  continues  :  "  And  I  came  utterly  to  hate  the 
world  and  all  belonging  to  it,  and  also  my  own  flesh, 
wherefore  during  this  first  year  I  chastised  my  body 
with  very  sore  and  manifold  exercises,  so  that  I 
more  than  once  became  so  weak,  that  I  thought  I 
should  die.  But  about  this  time  I  took  Tauler  for 
my  confessor,  who  discovered  somewhat  of  these 
exercises,  for  he  perceived  that  I  had  become  very 
sickly  ;  and  he  feared  for  my  head,  and  commanded 
me  to  exercise  myself  no  more  in  such  wise,  and  set 
me  a  certain  time  ;  and  I  must  needs  obey  him, 
but  my  obedience  went  very  much  against  the  grain, 
for  I  had  set  my  heart  upon  bringing  my  body  into 
subjection.  But  as  soon  as  the  term  was  out,  I  said 
nothing,  but  began  again  to  do  as  I  had  done  before. 
.  .  .  But  our  Lord  was  pleased,  during  this  first 
year,  to  give  me  a  true  discernment  in  many  things, 
so  that  whenever  I  commended  any  matter  with 
great  earnestness  to  God,  He  gave  me  to  perceive 
what  I  must  do  and  leave  undone.  Moreover,  our 
Lord  also  suffered  me  to  be  ofttimes  tormented  with 
grievous  and  horrible  temptations,  both  by  day  and 
night ;  but  it  was  given  to  me,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
to  receive  them  with  humble  and  cheerful  submission, 
so  that  I  could  say  with  heart  and  mouth,  '  My  Lord 
and  my  God,  my  nature  hates  and  loathes  this 


HIS  MENTAL  TRIALS  169 

suffering  ;  wherefore  I  pray  thee  to  take  no  account 
thereof,  and  do  not  as  my  poor  nature  would  desire 
and  entreat  of  thee,  but  fulfil  thy  most  blessed  will, 
whether  it  be  sweet  or  bitter  to  my  weak  nature.'  .  . . 
And  when  God  saw  that  it  was  the  proper  time.  He 
came  to  my  help  with  his  merciful  grace.  .  .  .  Now, 
during  the  second  and  the  third  years  (this  last  was 
the  jubilee,  when  all  men  went  on  pilgrimage  to 
Rome),  did  God  work  many  great  and  supernatural 
works  with  me,  a  poor  sinner,  through  great  sorrow 
and  spiritual  assaults,  and  withal  unspeakable 
temptations,  of  which  it  were  a  sin  to  write.  But 
one  which  I  may  write  is,  that  God  suffered  me  to  be 
assailed  with  unbelief :  to  wit,  that  the  devil  put  it 
into  my  head  to  ask  :  '  How  may  it  be,  that  the 
Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  may  consist 
in  one  nature  ? '  And  this  unbelief  remained  upon 
me  for  a  long  space,  and  all  that  time  I  thought 
nothing  else  but  that  I  must  certainly  burn  for  ever 
in  hell ;  and  yet  I  felt  within  myself  that  neverthe- 
less my  will  was  set  to  love  God.  And  after  a  good 
while,  I  grew  so  infirm,  through  this  continual  pain, 
that  it  was  all  I  could  do,  when  Assumption  day 
came,  to  venture  to  go  and  sit  down  to  hear  a  sermon. 
And  as  I  put  my  hat  before  my  eyes,  I  fell  into  a 
swoon  from  very  weakness  ;  but  while  I  was  thus 
in  a  trance,  there  appeared  unto  me  a  great  stone, 
wherein  were  carved  the  likeness  of  three  men's 
countenances.  .  .  .  And  it  was  as  though  a  voice 
said  to  me,  '  Now  mayest  thou  well  believe,  since  thou 
hast  seen  how  in  one  stone  may  be  three  persons, 
and  yet  it  is  one  stone,  and  the  three  persons  have 
the  nature  of  one  rock.'  And  hereupon  I  came  to 
myself,  and  was  seized  with  fear  when  I  found  myself 


170       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

sitting  among  the  crowd.  ...  So  I  rose  up  and 
went  out  into  the  aisle,  and  found  that  my  faith  had 
been  enhghtened,  insomuch  that  I  never  again  was 
assailed  with  unbelief  ;  but  the  other  terrible  tempta- 
tions I  had  to  endure  for  two  years  longer  ...  in- 
somuch that  I  often  thought  I  knew  the  pains  of  hell. 
And  I  was  so  ill  that  my  friends  would  not  suffer  me 
to  go  on  pilgrimage  to  Rome  ;  neither  could  I  scourge 
myself  nor  wear  a  hair  shirt,  nor  a  sharp  crucifix, 
nor  endure  any  other  hardship  .  .  .  but  feared  that 
I  should  die,  and  was  somewhat  troubled  thereat, 
for  I  could  not  but  love  my  natural  life.  .  .  .  And 
in  all  those  two  years  God  would  not  suffer  me  to 
speak  of  my  pain  to  any  man,  however  great  it 
might  be  ...  I  must  bear  and  endure  to  the  end 
alone,  that  I  might  have  no  help  or  consolation.  .  .  . 
But  in  the  fourth  year,  my  Lord  and  God  showed 
his  great  mercy  upon  me,  and  looked  upon  my 
affliction,  and  came  to  my  help  with  such  great  and 
superhuman  joy,  that  in  that  moment  I  forgot  all 
my  woe  and  pain  that  ever  I  had  suffered,  and 
became  also  in  all  my  natural  powers  quite  strong 
and  lively,  as  though  I  had  never  known  what  sick- 
ness was.  .  .  .  And  he  gave  me,  moreover,  much 
gracious  discernment,  so  that,  when  I  looked 
narrowly  at  a  man,  I  could  ofttimes  perceive  pretty 
well  how  it  stood  with  him  inwardly.  And  I  was 
further  constrained,  however  unwilling,  to  write  a 
little  book  for  the  benefit  of  my  fellow  Christians." 
From  a  comparison  of  dates,  it  appears  that  this 
"little  book  "  must  be  the  Book  of  the  Nine  Rocks, 
already  mentioned.  In  the  opening  of  this  work, 
Rulman,  under  the  allegorical  form  of  visions,  gives  a 
much  more  detailed  account  of  the  mental  conflicts 


BOOK  OF  THE  NINE  ROCKS       171 

he  passed  through,  arising  partly  from  reluctance 
to    contemplate    the    wretchedness    around    him, 
partly  from  the  dread  of  being  condemned  by  the 
church  as  unauthorized  to  teach  and  heretical,— 
before  he  could   resolve  to  write.     Finally,  seeing 
no  escape  from  what  appeared  to  him  a  positive 
duty,  he  sets  to  work.     The  first  part  contains  a 
description  of  the  terrible  condition  of  Christendom  ; 
all  classes  are  passed  under  review,  and  their  par- 
ticular sins  exposed,— those  of  the  clergy  with  especial 
freedom.*     The  second  part  is  a  description  of  nine 
rocks  which  symboHze  nine  stages  in  the  progress  of 
the  soul  towards  a  higher  hfe  ;    each  more  difficult 
of  ascent,  and  more  glorious  than  the  preceding. 
From  the  summit,  he  obtains  a  momentary  ghmpse 
into  the  abyss  of  Deity  ;  then,  looking  back  to  earth, 
sees  two  men,  the  one  bright  and  shining  as  an  angel, 
the  other  black  as  Satan.     The  latter  was  one  who, 
having  reached  the  summit  of  the  nine  rocks,  had 
desired  to  be  somewhat  for  himself,  and  had  there- 
upon fallen  step  by  step  back  into  the  abyss  ;  the 
former,  one  who  having  gazed  at  the  Godhead,  filled 
with  love  and  compassion,  descended  voluntarily  to 
save  his  brethren  from  their  sins. 

*  Thus,  in  speaking  of  the  Popes,  he  says,  "  Look  around  thee,  and 
see  what  sort  of  hves  the  Popes  have  led  and  do  lead  in  these  our 
times  ;  we  may  not  name  any  one  in  particular.  Look  ...  if  they 
have  not  taken  more  thought  for  themselves  and  for  the  maintenance 
ot  their  own  dignuy  than  for  the  promotion  of  God's  glory 
Look  around  thee,  and  behold  the  lives  of  the  bishops  in  these  days' 
whether  they  are  not  more  busied  in  scraping  together  earthly  wealth 
tor  the  enrichmg  of  their  relatives  than  in  seeing  to  it  that  men  are 
taught  to  walk  m  righteous,  godly  ways.  .  .  .  Behold  and  see  how 
many  doctors  and  teachers  are  to  be  found  in  these  days,  who  utter 
God  s  word  from  their  chairs,  and  dare  publicly  to  proclaim  the  real 
truth,  and  pubhcly  to  speak  of  the  great  and  murderous  crimes  that 
prevail  in  the  Christian  world,  and  to  warn  men ;  and  are  willine  bv 
so  doing  to  risk  their  lives  for  God's  honour." 


172       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

In  his  autobiography,  Rulman  further  tells  us, 
among  other  things  :  "  In  this  fourth  year,  the  three 
powers  of  faith,  hope,  and  love  were  greatly  strength- 
ened in  me.  .  .  .  Moreover,  nothing  in  time  or 
eternity  could  give  me  content  but  God  Himself ; 
but  when  He  came  to  my  soul,  I  knew  not  whether 
I  were  in  time  or  eternity.  .  .  .  And  in  my  heart 
I  felt  a  great  yearning,  and  wished  it  were  the  will 
of  God  that  I  might  go  to  the  heathen  and  tell  them 
of  the  Christian  faith.  .  .  .  And  I  would  gladly 
have  suffered  death  and  martyrdom  at  their  hands, 
in  honour  of  our  Lord's  sufferings  and  bitter  death. 
But  of  all  this  I  was  not  suffered  to  speak  a  word  to 
any,  until  there  came  a  time  when  God  gave  a  man  in 
the  Oberland  to  understand  that  he  should  come  down 
to  me.  And  when  he  came,  God  gave  me  to  tell  him 
of  all  these  things.  And  this  man  was  altogether 
unknown  to  the  world,  but  he  became  my  secret 
friend,  and  I  gave  myself  up  to  his  guiding  in  God's 
stead,  and  told  him  aU  my  hidden  life  in  these  four 
years.  .  .  .  Then  he  said  to  me  :  '  Behold,  dear 
friend,  here  is  a  book  in  which  stand  written  the  first 
five  years  of  my  life  in  God  ;  give  me  the  history 
of  thy  first  four  years  in  exchange  for  it.'  But  I 
answered  :  '  It  would  grieve  me  much  if  my  history 
should  come  to  the  knowledge  of  any.'  Then  he  said  : 
'  Now  see,  I  have  given  thee  my  book,  and  I  know 
full  well  that  thou  wilt  tell  none  of  it.  No  more  will 
I  tell  any  of  thee.  I  will  take  thy  book  up  into  my 
own  land  far  away,  where  thou  art  as  unknown  as  I 
am  in  Strasburg.  And  so  begin  to  write  thy  history  in 
two  books,  and  the  one  I  will  take  and  the  other  thou 
Shalt  keep,  and  shalt  hang  thy  seal  thereto,  and  lock 
it  up  where  none  shall  find  it  during  thy  lifetime.'  .  .  . 


MERSWIN'S  CHARITIES  173 

*'  Now,  notwithstanding  all  the  gifts  and  enlighten- 
ment that  God  bestowed  on  me  in  this  fourth  year, 
there  was  yet  a  secret  spot  in  my  soul,  the  which 
was  altogether  unknown  to  myself.  .  .  .  And  it 
was,  that,  when  I  looked  upon  my  fellow -men, 
I  esteemed  them  as  they  were  in  this  present  time, 
and  stood  before  God  in  their  sins  ;  and  this  was 
a  hidden  spot,  for  I  ought,  through  grace,  to  have 
regarded  them,  not  as  they  now  were,  but  as  they 
might  well  become.  .  .  ."  In  seeing  a  waste  piece 
of  ground  cumbered  with  rubbish,  and  giving  it  as 
his  judgment  that  it  might  be  reclaimed  and  made 
a  garden  of,  an  inward  voice  reveals  his  sin  to  him, 
and  rebukes  him,  saying  :  "0  thou  poor  miserable 
creature !  how  strange  art  thou  .  .  .  how  darest 
thou,  then,  to  esteem,  according  to  what  he  now  is, 
thy  fellow-man,  who  is  made  in  the  image  of  God, 
and  whom  Christ  has  made  his  brother  in  his  human 
nature,  and  not  rather  deem  that  God  may  make 
of  him  a  comely  and  excellent  garden,  wherein  He 
himself  may  dwell  ?  .  .  ."  The  rest  of  Rulman's 
narrative  refers  to  his  views  of  the  condition  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  he  tells  us  :  "It  was  revealed 
to  me  that  I  should  no  longer  be  so  greatly  exercised 
by  the  temptations  from  which  I  had  hitherto 
suffered  .  .  .  but  that  my  affliction  henceforth 
should  be  to  behold  how  the  sheep  were  wandering 
abroad  among  the  proud,  unclean,  ravening  wolves 
.  .  .  this  should  be  my  trial  and  my  cross.  ..." 

Rulman,  however,  not  only  sought  "  to  benefit 
his  fellow-Christians"  by  his  writings,  but  also  by 
his  deeds  of  active  benevolence.  His  name  occurs 
about  this  time  as  one  of  the  managers  of  a  hospi- 
tal ;  he  is  mentioned  as  Provost  of  the  convent  of 


174       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

St.  Argobast,  and  in  the  i6th  century  a  house  of 
Beguines  in  Strasburg  still  bears  his  name  ;  but  he 
is  best  known  as  the  founder  of  the  convent  belong- 
ing to  the  Knights  of  St.  John  at  Strasburg.  After 
long  deliberation  with  Nicolas,  whether  it  would 
not  be  better  to  "  devote  the  money  to  the  help  of 
poor  people,  that  they  might  not  die  of  hunger," 
Rulman,  with  some  pecuniary  assistance  from 
Nicolas,  bought  and  repaired  the  half-ruined  convent 
of  Gruenen- Worth,  which  he  then  endowed  and 
made  over  to  the  Order  of  St.  John,  on  condition 
that  its  worldly  affairs  should  be  managed  by  three 
lay  trustees,  and  that  it  should  be  a  refuge  for  any 
good  men,  whether  priests  or  laymen,  rich  or  poor, 
who  might  wish  to  retire  there  for  their  spiritual 
benefit,  and  were  willing,  during  their  stay,  to  con- 
form to  the  customs  of  the  house.  His  principal 
motive  seems  indeed  to  have  been  the  desire  to 
provide  a  permanent  asylum  for  pious  persons  like 
himself,  whose  free  opinions  might  at  any  moment 
bring  them  into  trouble.  He  entered  on  possession 
of  it  in  1366,  and  continued  to  live  there  till  his  death 
in  July  1382,  having,  however,  two  years  before, 
built  himself  a  soHtary  cell  close  to  the  church, 
because  he  thought  that  he  took  too  much  earthly 
delight  in  the  society  of  his  brethren  of  the  convent. 
He  was  buried,  with  his  wife,  who  had  also  retired 
to  a  convent,  and  had  died  twelve  years  before,  in  the 
choir  of  the  church  he  built. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  autobiography 
of  Nicolas  should  not  have  been  preserved,  Hke 
that  of  his  disciple,  or  at  least  has  not  as  yet  been 
found.  Though,  however,  we  are  thus  deprived  of 
the  secret  history  of  his  mind,  we  are  able  to  learn 


NICOLAS  175 

a  good  deal  respecting  his  work  and  mode  of  life  from 
his  Story  of  the  Four  Men  who  lived  with  him,  and 
the  recently  discovered  letters.  Still  these  notices 
are  very  fragmentary,  and  his  history  is  mixed  up 
with  so  much  of  a  marvellous  and  half-legendary 
character,  that  in  many  cases  it  is  difficult  to  make 
out  the  actual  facts.  He  appears  at  all  events  to 
have  been  the  leader  and  centre  of  a  distinct 
association  of  "  Friends  of  God."  That,  even  before 
the  date  at  which  he  began  to  collect  associates  round 
him,  he  was  regarded  as  a  remarkably  holy  and 
enlightened  man,  is  proved  by  the  circumstance 
that  two  of  the  four  men  whose  inward  history  he 
relates,  having  known  him  in  their  youth,  came  to 
him  for  help  when  they  found  themselves  in  spiritual 
perplexity.  At  an  early  period  he  began  to  cast  his 
eye  upon  those  whom  he  thought  he  could  influence 
for  good.  In  1340,  when,  as  he  lived  till  the  begin- 
ning of  the  following  century,  he  must  have  been 
stiU  comparatively  a  young  man,  he  went  on  his 
mission  to  Tauler  :  about  1350,  when  the  latter  had 
left  Strasburg,  began  his  connexion  with  Rulman 
Merswin  and  probably  with  Berthold  von  Rohrbach, 
who  was  burnt  at  Spire,  in  1356,  for  preaching  that 
a  layman  enlightened  by  God  was  as  competent  to 
teach  others  as  the  most  learned  priest.  About  the 
same  time  he  was  in  Hungary,  and  appears  also  to 
have  sojourned  in  Italy.  The  four  men  already 
mentioned  joined  themselves  to  him  one  after  the 
other.  The  second  of  them  had  been  an  intimate 
friend  of  Nicolas  from  his  youth  ;  he  was  a  man 
of  large  property,  and  early  married  to  a  beautiful 
wife,  by  whom  he  had  two  children.  After  af^few 
years  of  happiness,  however,  he  began  to  suffer  from 


176       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

the  scruples  by  which  pious  CathoHcs  have  been  so 
often  tormented,  and  to  doubt  whether  he  ought 
not  to  renounce  his  domestic  joys  in  order  to  do 
penance  for  his  sins  ;  but  Nicolas,  to  whom  he  came 
for  counsel,  enjoined  him  to  remain  true  to  his  duties 
as  a  husband  and  father  ;  and  it  was  not  until  after 
the  death  of  his  wife  and  both  his  children  that  he 
took  up  his  abode  with  his  friend,  and  became  a 
priest.  The  two  brothers  who  seem  to  have  stood 
next  to  Nicolas  in  consideration,  were  a  learned 
jurist,  who  had  been  also  a  lay -prebend,  and  a 
converted  Jew,  named  John,  who  both  afterwards 
became  priests. 

The  little  company  lived  together  on  equal  terms. 
Nicolas  tells  the  priest,  when  deliberating  whether 
or  not  to  enter  a  monastic  Order,  and  enquiring  as 
to  his  brethren's  mode  of  life ;  "  They  observe  no 
rules  but  such  as  are  common  to  secular  priests,  as 
indeed  they  are,  but  we  live  together  in  common  as 
simply  as  we  can,  and  have  as  little  to  do  with  the 
world  as  we  may."  The  priests  among  them  seem 
to  have  had  no  peculiar  vocation,  except  that  of 
celebrating  mass  ;  the  laymen  never  took  part  in 
the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  but  in  all 
other  respects  there  was  no  distinction  between 
them.  As  all  stood  in  a  direct  and  individual 
relation  to  God,  they  required  no  priestly  mediation  ; 
nay,  the  priests  themselves  submitted  to  the  layman 
Nicolas,  because  they  regarded  him  as  the  most  en- 
lightened of  their  number.  Not  counsel  from  men 
ought  we  to  seek  after,  writes  Nicolas  in  1356,  but 
that  which  proceeds  from  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and,  so 
long  as  we  have  it  from  that  source,  it  is  indifferent 
whether  it  flow  to  us  through  priest  or  layman.     In 


ON  ASCETICISM  177 

their  religious  services  and  fasts  they  did  not  strictly 
observe  stated  hours,  for  they  regarded  external 
observances  as  unimportant  in  themselves,  and  only 
excellent  as  a  means  of  improvement,  or  a  sign 
of  obedience.  Thus,  while  they  admitted  ascetic 
exercises  and  painful  penances  to  be  useful  in  the 
commencement  of  a  religious  Hfe,  in  order  to  mortify 
the  sensual  inclinations,  they  declared  them  to  be 
afterwards  a  matter  of  indifference,  nay,  sometimes 
positively  contrary  to  the  Divine  will.  According 
to  Nicolas,  if  a  man  have  attained  to  a  certain  degree 
of  mastery  over  nature,  then  fasting,  scourging,  the 
wearing  of  iron  girdles,  &c.,  is  a  self -sought  pain, 
and  as  such  a  sign  that  he  does  not  yet  allow  God 
to  work  alone.  Moreover,  such  tormentings  may  be 
very  detrimental  to  the  body ;  for  though  it  must 
needs  be  brought  into  subjection  to  the  spirit,  yet  it 
ought  not  to  be  robbed  of  its  strength ;  for  how  else 
should  a  man  support  the  fatigue  of  the  labours  and 
travels  that  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  are  so  often  called 
to  undertake  ? 

Their  doctrine  on  this  point  would  seem  to  us  more 
judicious  than  their  practice,  for  it  is  evident  from 
their  writings  that  they  frequently,  in  fact,  carried 
their  austerities  so  far  as  to  endanger  Hfe  or  reason. 
But  Nicolas  admirably  draws  the  line  between  suffer- 
ing that  is  self-imposed,  and  that  which  God  lays 
upon  us.  The  latter,  whether  it  consist  in  outward 
affliction  or  inward  temptation,  we  are  to  take  joy- 
fully, for  it  is  a  proof  that  God's  grace  is  at  work 
within  us  ;  Christ,  who  has  endured  to  the  last 
extremity  for  man,  loves  pain,  and  will  not  spare  it 
to  his  friends.  The  main  thing  is  that  we  should 
find  all  things  good  in  God,  and  look  at  things  not 


178       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

as  they  appear  to  the  world,  but  as  they  are  in  God's 
sight.  When  some  of  the  Strasburg  brethren  of 
St.  John  argue  that  singing  and  reading  in  the 
chapel  at  fixed  hours  will  hinder  them  in  contempla- 
tion, they  are  censured  for  it  by  Nicolas,  who  tells 
them  that  these  acts  are  prescribed  by  the  rules  of 
their  Order,  and  though  they  have  in  themselves  no 
merit,  yet,  if  done  from  obedience,  they  cannot  hinder 
the  motions  of  grace  ;  even  while  outwardly  busy, 
God  may  be  worshipped  by  us  in  spirit  and  in  truth, 
if  we  put  no  selfish,  carnal  thoughts  between  our  souls 
and  Him.  And  when  Nicolas  von  Laufen  takes 
umbrage  at  the  secular  manners  of  some  of  his 
brethren  who  ride  about  on  horseback  clad  in 
short  coats,  the  La3mian  remarks  that  he  has  not 
yet  learnt  to  find  all  things  right  in  God,  but  chngs 
too  much  to  outward  distinctions.  So,  again,  the 
renunciation  of  the  world  does  not  in  his  opinion  in- 
volve the  absolute  giving  up  of  earthly  possessions, 
as  was  taught  in  his  day  by  the  Franciscan  Spiritual- 
ists and  others,  nor  the  violent  rending  asunder  of 
social  ties.  Let  him  who  is  in  an  Order  that  makes 
poverty  a  rule,  obey  that  rule  ;  but  he  who  can 
rightfully  hold  property  is  at  hberty  to  retain  it,  if 
only  he  do  not  seek  his  own  ends  in  the  use  thereof, 
but  God  alone.  Thus  these  "  Friends  of  God  "  do 
not  appear  to  have  renounced  all  control  over  their 
property,  but  merely  to  have  thrown  what  they 
regarded  as  superfluous  into  a  common  stock,  which 
was  applied  to  the  building  of  their  house  and  church, 
to  purposes  of  charity,  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
their  missionary  journeys,  &c.  This  common 
stock  was  managed  by  their  trustworthy  steward 
Ruprecht,  who  was  the  chief  if  not  sole  medium  of 


SECRET  INTERCOURSE  179 

communication  between  Nicolas  and  his  Strasburg 
friends. 

From  their  seclusion,  however,  they  kept  a  watch- 
ful eye  upon  all  that  was  passing  in  the  world  around 
them,  went  out  to  those  whom  there  seemed  a 
prospect  of  winning  over,  and  exercised  no  incon- 
siderable influence  upon  those  who  had  put  them- 
selves under  their  spiritual  guidance.  This  was  the 
case  with  many  who  did  not  even  know  Nicolas  by 
name.  Thus,  Henry  von  Wolfach,  the  Master  of  the 
Brethren  of  St.  John  in  Strasburg,  and  even  the 
Grand  Master  of  the  Order  in  Germany,  Conrad  von 
Brunsberg,  and  many  others,  desire  his  counsel  to 
solve  their  doubts  and  direct  their  proceedings. 
Messengers  from  Nicolas  seem  to  have  been  per- 
petually travelling  about,  who  brought  him  letters 
from  the  "  Friends  of  God,"  so  that  he  kept  up  a 
constant  communication,  not  only  with  those  in  the 
neighbouring  regions  but  also  with  the  brethren  on 
the  Rhine,  in  Lorraine,  in  Italy,  and  in  Hungary. 
In  this  manner  he  became  acquainted  both  with 
public  events  and  likewise  with  the  private  affairs 
of  individuals ;  so,  for  instance,  he  made  very 
remarkable  revelations  to  an  Augustinian  monk  in 
Strasburg  respecting  one  of  his  penitents.  These 
messengers  had  certain  secret  signs  by  which  they 
recognized  each  other.  Thus,  Rulman  Merswin 
was  made  aware  of  the  presence  of  Ruprecht,  by 
hearing  a  pecuhar  cough  when  he  was  in  church. 
Nicolas  himself  took  extraordinary  precautions  to 
remain  undiscovered,  and  with  such  success,  that, 
after  Rulman' s  death,  the  brethren  at  the  Gruenen- 
Worth,  who  had  previously  received  many  letters 
from  him,  were  never  able  to  discover  his  retreat. 


i8o       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

When  those  with  whom  he  corresponded  desired  to 
enter  into  personal  communication  with  him,  he 
usually  refused  it,  simply  saying  that  it  could  not  be. 
This  was  the  case  with  the  vicar  of  the  Bishop  of 
Strasburg,  John  von  Schaf tolsheim,  with  the  Master 
of  the  Brethren  of  St.  John,  in  Strasburg,  and  even 
with  Conrad  von  Brunsberg.  In  1363,  he  writes 
that  for  twenty  years  he  had  only  been  able  to  reveal 
himself  to  one  person,  and  not  until  God  should  take 
this  one  from  him  would  he  seek  another ;  which 
probably  signifies  that  in  each  city  he  had  but  one 
confidential  person,  through  whom  he  corresponded 
with  all  who  desired  his  counsel.  Meanwhile  he  was 
active  by  means  of  his  pen :  in  1356,  as  we  have 
seen,  Tauler  received  from  him  a  tractate  on  the 
decay  of  true  religion.  The  alphabetical  list  of  rules 
which  he  had  given  to  Tauler  in  1340,  he  sent  in  1369 
to  the  priests  at  Gruenen-Worth,  and  in  1371  to 
Rulman's  secretary,  Nicolas  von  Laufen  ;  to  the 
same  priests  he  sent  the  History  of  Tauler  ;  and  in 
1377,  to  the  Brethren  of  St.  John,  he  sends  the  book 
containing  the  History  of  the  Five  Brethren.  It  is 
to  these  circumstances  that  we  owe  the  proof  of 
the  authenticity  of  Tauler's  Hfe,  and  the  possibihty 
of  identifying  the  "  man "  there  mentioned  with 
"  the  secret  friend,"  who  meets  us  in  the  writings 
relating  to  Rulman  Merswin. 

Up  to  1367,  Nicolas  and  his  companions  dwelt  in 
a  "  city  in  the  Oberland,"  most  Ukely  Basle ;  but 
in  that  year,  finding  it  "  not  helpful "  "to  live  among 
the  conunon  people,"  they  determined  on  retiring 
into  utter  seclusion  ;  principally,  no  doubt,  in  order 
to  carry  on  their  work  unwatched  and  undisturbed. 
In  accordance  with  a  dream,  as  they  tell  us,  which 


FEUDS  i8i 

commanded  them  to  take  their  black  dog  for  a  guide, 
they  fixed  on  a  site  high  up  on  a  mountain,  far  away 
from  any  human  habitation.  This  mountain  was 
situated  in  the  dominions  of  the  Duke  of  Austria, 
and  for  two  leagues  round  there  was  no  town.  A 
messenger  whom  they  sent  to  the  Duke,  to  request 
his  permission  to  settle  here,  was  taken  prisoner  in 
the  wars  then  raging  in  those  countries,  and  a  year 
had  elapsed  before  they  were  able  to  obtain  his 
release.  He,  however,  then  brought  back  the  re- 
quired permission,  and  they  began  to  build  their 
house,  in  which  each  was  to  have  his  own  spacious 
apartment,  and  there  were  also  to  be  chambers  for 
the  reception  of  foreign  brethren  as  guests  ;  but  they 
were  prevented  from  finishing  the  edifice,  by  the 
political  disturbances  in  the  neighburhood,  so  that 
it  remained  at  a  standstill  for  seven  years,  and  the 
"  Friends  "  gave  up  all  idea  of  completing  it. 

The  pohtical  and  ecclesiastical  feuds  by  which 
the  Papal  court  was  distracted  excited  a  lively  but 
melancholy  interest  in  Nicolas,  who  constantly 
predicts  in  his  letters  that  they  must  bring  down 
still  heavier  judgments  at  God's  hand  than  even  those 
which  had  already  visited  the  world ;  but  when, 
after  his  long  residence  in  Avignon,  Gregory  XI. 
returned  to  Rome  in  1376,  a  ray  of  hope  that  it  might 
yet  be  possible  to  restore  unity  and  concord  to  the 
afflicted  Church  seems  to  have  dawned  upon  his 
mind,  and  he  felt  called  on  to  make  a  personal  effort 
to  influence  the  Pope  himself.  Accordingly,  as  we 
learn  from  a  letter  to  Henry  von  Wolfach,  in  the 
February  of  1377  it  was  resolved  by  the  "  Friends  " 
that  Nicolas  and  the  Jurist  should  repair  to  Rome  ; 
the  Jew,  Jolm,  offered  to  raise  funds  to  defray  the 


i82       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

expenses  of  the  journey  from  among  his  relatives, — 
Jews  who  harboured  a  secret  indination  towards 
Christianity.  The  severity  of  the  Alpine  winter 
and  an  attack  of  illness  which  befell  Nicolas,  now 
above  seventy  years  of  age,  caused  the  journey  to  be 
postponed  till  the  end  of  March.  I  extract  from  the 
account  of  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  given  in  Rulman 
Merswin's  Briefbuch  *  the  following  narrative  of  their 
mission  and  its  results  :  "  And  when  they  came 
to  Rome,  the  Layman  (Rulman's  secret  friend)  f 
made  inquiry  after  a  Roman  whom  he  had  known 
a  long  time  before,  and  found  him  yet  living.  And 
this  Roman  received  the  two  '  Friends  of  God '  in 
a  very  friendly  fashion,  and  would  take  no  denial, 
but  they,  with  their  servants,  and  horses,  and 
carriages,  must  lodge  with  him  so  long  as  their  affairs 
kept  them  in  Rome  ;  and  he  entertained  them  most 
courteously  with  all  manner  of  good  cheer.  Then 
he  said  to  the  Layman  :  '  Methinks  it  is  somewhat 
strange  that  thou  in  thine  old  age  shouldst  come 
to  court  from  such  a  distant  land,  unless  it  be  upon 
some  urgent  occasion.'  Then  the  Layman  answered : 
'  So  it  is  :  we  must  speak  to  our  Holy  Father  upon 
very  weighty  affairs.'  Then  said  the  Roman  :  '  I 
shall  be  able  to  bring  you  into  his  presence,  for  I  am 
very  familiar  with  him,  and  often  dine  at  his  table.' 
And  he  procured  that  the  Pope  should  give  them  a 
privy  hearing  on  the  third  day  after.  ...  So  they 
came  into  the  presence  of  Pope  Gregory,  and  the 
Jurist  spoke  to  him  in  Latin,  and  the  Layman  in 

*  The  account  itself  says,  "As  the  Layman  wrote  to  Rulman 
Merswin  and  Brother  Nicolas  von  Laufen ; "  but  these  letters  are  not 
among  those  preserved. 

t  The  name  by  which  Nicolas  is  always  designated,  except  where 
he  is  called  "the  Dear  Friend  of  God  in  the  Oberland." 


INTERVIEW  WITH   POPE  183 

Italian,  since  he  could  not  speak  Latin,  and  said, 
among  much  other  discourse  :  '  Holy  Father,  there 
be  many  grievous  and  heinous  crimes  wrought 
throughout  Christendom  by  all  degrees  of  men, 
whereby  God's  anger  is  greatly  provoked  ;  thou 
oughtest  to  consider  how  to  put  an  end  to  these 
evils.'  But  he  answered  :  '  I  have  no  power  to 
amend  matters.'  Then  they  told  him  of  his  own 
secret  faults,  which  had  been  revealed  to  them  of 
God  by  certain  evident  tokens,  and  said,  '  Holy 
Father,  know  of  a  truth,  that  if  you  do  not  put  away 
your  evil  doings  and  utterly  amend  your  ways,  you 
shall  die  within  a  year,'  as  also  came  to  pass.  When 
the  Pope  heard  these  words  of  rebuke,  he  was  en- 
raged beyond  measure  ;  but  they  answered  and  said  : 
'  Holy  Father,  take  us  captive,  and  if  we  cannot 
give  you  evident  tokens,  then  kill  us  and  do  what 
you  will  with  us.'  .  .  .  And  when  they  declared  to 
him  these  tokens,  he  rose  up  from  his  throne,  and 
embraced  them  and  kissed  them  on  the  mouth,  and 
said  to  the  Layman,  '  Let  us  talk  together  in  Italian, 
since  thou  canst  not  speak  Latin.'  And  they  had 
much  loving  discourse  together  ;  and  among  other 
things  the  Pope  said,  '  Could  you  tell  the  Emperor 
as  much  as  you  have  told  me,  you  would  indeed  do 
a  good  service  to  Christendom.'  And  afterwards 
the  Pope  prayed  the  two  '  Friends  of  God  '  that  they 
should  stay  with  him  in  Rome,  and  he  offered  to 
provide  them  all  things  needful,  and  also  to  follow 
their  counsel.  But  they  answered,  '  Holy  Father, 
suffer  us  to  return  home  ;  and  we  will  be  at  all  times 
obedient  to  come  if  you  send  for  us.  For  we  seek 
no  earthly  gain,  nor  have  we  come  hither  for  the  sake 
of  such  ;   we  seek  only  God's  glory  and  the  welfare 


i84       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

of  Christendom  above  all  the  perishable  gifts  of  this 
present  time.'  Then  he  inquired  of  them  where 
their  home  might  be ;  and  when  they  said,  '  We 
have  long  dwelt  in  such  a  town,'  he  marvelled  that 
such  '  Friends  of  God '  should  dwell  among  the 
common  people.  Thereupon  they  told  him  [all  that 
had  happened],  and  how  they  had  been  hindered 
in  their  building.  Then  the  Pope  would  have  given 
them  a  bishopric  and  other  revenues  and  grants, 
but  they  would  not  have  them.  .  .  .  [But  the  Pope 
gave  them  letters  reconmiending  their  cause  to  the 
Bishop  and  clergy  of  their  diocese.]  Now  when  these 
two  dear  '  Friends  of  God  '  had  settled  their  affairs 
with  the  Pope,  and  desired  to  depart  from  Rome, 
their  host  would  not  suffer  them  to  pay  for  an3^hing 
that  they  had  had  in  his  house  .  .  .  and  moreover 
gave  the  layman  a  good  ambUng  horse  instead  of  the 
heavy  carriage  in  which  he  had  come,  saying  that  a 
soft-paced  horse  would  be  much  easier  for  him  to 
ride  over  the  high  mountains  than  the  carriage, 
seeing  that  he  was  old  and  weakly.  Now  afterward 
the  Pope  was  unmindful  of  God's  message,  and 
obeyed  it  not,  and  died  that  same  year  as  they  had 
prophesied — to  wit,  about  the  fourth  week  in  Lent, 
1378." 

On  returning  to  their  mountain,  they  found  that 
the^Bishop  of  their  diocese  was  sojourning  in  a  city 
thirteen  leagues  distant.  It  was  resolved  that  the 
two  who  had  been  with  the  Pope  should  ride  with 
his  letter  to  the  Bishop  to  entreat  aid  for  the  com- 
pletion of  their  house.  The  prelate  received  them 
favourably,  and  gave  them  letters  to  the  clergy  of 
the  town  that  lay  nearest  to  their  estate.  On  this, 
all  the  five  brethren  repaired  thither,  where  the 


THE  POPE'S  LETTER  185 

priests  read  from  the  pulpit  the  letters  of  recom- 
mendation which  they  had  brought  from  the  Pope 
and  the  Bishop.  The  magistrates  also  took  up  their 
cause,  promising  to  send  them  armed  men  to  protect 
their  settlement  in  time  of  disturbance,  and  offering 
them  besides  a  house  in  the  town  for  a  temporary 
abode,  and  in  which  they  could  also  take  refuge  if 
necessary  ;  and  further  sent  them  on  leaving  a  com- 
phmentary  present  of  fish  and  wine  by  the  hand  of 
their  officers.  Three  foreign  brethren,  who  had  for 
some  time  cherished  the  wish  to  be  received  into 
their  society,  made  over  to  them  the  whole  of  their 
property,  in  order  to  finish  the  house  and  erect  the 
church.  Thus  aided,  the  Uttle  band  were  at  length 
able  to  settle  down  in  the  home  they  had  chosen. 
But,  as  far  as  we  can  gather  from  the  obscure  traces 
of  their  subsequent  history,  it  does  not  appear  that 
they  were  allowed  to  enjoy  for  more  than  a  few 
years  the  retreat  for  which  they  had  sighed  so 
long. 

In  the  same  year  (1377),  Nicolas  learns  from 
several  foreign  "  Friends  of  God  "  that  the  Church 
is  on  the  point  of  falling  into  great  peril,  doubtless 
from  the  growing  discord  which  threatened  all  the 
convulsions  of  anarchy  ;  and  he  foresees  that  things 
may  come  to  pass  which  would  constrain  the 
•'  Friends  of  God  "  to  separate  and  divide  themselves 
over  the  world ;  but  in  the  meantime  their  part  is 
to  remain  in  concealment  till  "  God  shall  do  some- 
thing, we  know  not  what  as  yet."  Meanwhile  he 
entreats  the  prayers  of  his  friends,  for  they  are 
greatly  troubled  in  mind,  and  know  not  what  will 
come  of  it.  It  is  evident  from  such  dark  hints  as 
these  that  Nicolas  and  his  friends  now  began  to 


i86       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

contemplate  the  possibility  of  their  duty  calling 
them  to  use  more  public  means  of  influence  than 
the  private,  though  by  no  means  inactive  or  in- 
efficient, line  of  conduct  they  had  hitherto  pursued. 
They  must  have  foreseen  the  painful  collision  that 
was  impending  between  their  deep  reverence  for  the 
outward  authority  of  the  Church  and  the  inward 
authority  of  the  indwelling  light.  Neither  can  they 
have  been  without  forebodings  of  the  martyr's  doom, 
which  actually  befell  all  those  of  whose  fate  any 
traces  are  left ;  though  we  may  well  believe,  from 
all  we  know  of  them,  that  this  would  occasion  them 
far  less  anxiety  and  distress  than  the  question 
whether  they  were  acting  most  for  the  interests  of 
the  Church  by  continuing  their  present  silent  and 
therefore  undisturbed  efforts  to  influence  the  spiritual 
leaders  of  the  people  ;  or  by  going  out  among  the 
people  themselves,  to  call  them  to  repentance,  and 
proclaim  doctrines  which,  however  true,  might  un- 
settle the  foundations  of  their  traditional  beUef  ; — 
the  difficulty  and  perplexity  which  in  many  ages 
meets  and  torments  minds  of  the  prophetic  order. 

In  the  following  year,  the  great  schism  that  had 
been  dimly  foretold,  broke  out,  and  for  forty  years  the 
church  was  divided  between  two  heads  ;  Urban  VI. 
was  elected  at  Rome,  under  the  influence  of  terror 
at  the  violence  of  the  insurgent  mob  ;  and  soon  after, 
in  subservience  to  the  French  party,  Clement  VII. 
et  Fondi,  who  immediately  hastened  to  Avignon. 
When  these  tidings  reached  the  "  Friends  of  God,'* 
it  seemed  to  them  that  the  time  was  come  when  the 
threatened  judgments  of  God  were  about  to  burst 
over  the  world.  It  was,  indeed,  intelligence  fitted 
to  shake  all  hearts,  for,  as  the  brethren  of  Gruenen- 


FORTY  YEARS  SCHISM  187 

Worth  write  :  "  After  God  has  been  warnmg  the 
world  for  these  forty  years  past,  by  deadly  diseases 
and  earthquakes,  famines,  and  a  wild,  masterless 
folk,*  laying  waste  many  lands,  He  is  now  sending 
us  a  plague  that  is  worse  than  all  the  rest,  because 
it  attacks  our  faith  ;  namely,  the  dissensions  of 
Christendom,  in  which  all  the  wisdom  of  nature, 
of  Scripture,  and  of  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  so  utterly  dried  up  and  extinct,  that  all  our 
learned  doctors  and  wise  priests  have  lost  their  way, 
and  know  not  which  to  choose  of  these  two  Popes, 
that  they  may  help  to  bring  back  unity  to  Christen- 
dom, and  peace  to  the  See  of  Rome."  Their  Master 
wished  in  this  perplexity  to  repair  for  counsel  to 
the  "  Friends  of  God,"  but  Nicolas  forbade  him, 
saying  :  "  Have  you  not  the  Holy  Scripture  ?  Are 
you  not  a  professor  in  the  chair  ?  Why  should  you 
ask  counsel  from  the  creature  ?  Stop,  and  wait 
till  God  Himself  shall  constrain  you  to  come  to  us. 
It  is  not  yet  time  for  us  to  reveal  ourselves  ;  but  it 
may  soon  come  to  pass  that  we  shp  from  our  covert, 
to  be  scattered  abroad  over  the  world,  and  if  so,  I 
shall  come  to  Straisburg  and  make  myself  known  to 
you." 

It  is,  however,  evident  that  the  "  Friends  of  God," 
though  concealed,  were  by  no  means  passive  at  this 
time ;  what  special  plans  they  cherished  are  im- 
known,  but  that  they  had  such  is  dear  from  all  their 
proceedings.  So  early  as  November  1377,  Nicolas 
had  been  with  the  priest,  John,  in  Metz,  on  some 
business  with  which  we  are  not  acquainted.  During 
1378,  much  consultation  by  means  of  messengers  and 

*The  hordes  known  by  the  name  of  "Englishmen,"  who  for  several 
years  after  1361  ravaged  France,  Lorraine,  and  Alsace. 


i88       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

letters  must  have  taken  place,  for  on  the  17th  of 
March,  in  the  following  year,  Nicolas  (as  he  relates 
in  a  letter  to  Henry  von  Wolfach),  with  seven  other 
brethren,  met  in  some  wild  place  high  up  among  the 
mountains,  near  a  chapel  hewn  out  in  a  rock,  close  to 
which  a  priest  dwelt  with  two  young  brethren  in  a 
little  hermitage.  Four  out  of  the  seven  were  laymen, 
the  other  three  ordained  priests.  Nicolas,  whether 
from  humility  or  not,  speaks  of  himself  as  one  of  the 
least  among  them.  From  his  letter  it  would  seem 
that  the  chief  purpose  of  this  meeting  was  united 
prayer  to  God,  to  avert  the  "  dreadful  storm " 
that  was  menacing  the  Christian  world,  that  there 
might  be  space  left  for  amendment.  A  week  was 
devoted  to  these  supplications ;  every  afternoon  the 
brethren  went  out  into  the  forest,  and  sat  down 
"  beside  a  fair  brook,"  to  converse  upon  the  matters 
on  which  they  had  come  hither.  At  length,  on  the 
last  day,  while  thus  assembled,  a  storm  of  wind  came 
on,  followed  by  a  thick  darkness,  which  they  took 
for  a  work  of  the  evil  spirits.  After  the  storm  had 
lasted  an  hour,  there  came  a  pleasant  light,  and 
the  sweet  voice  of  an  invisible  angel  announced  to 
them  that  God  had  heard  their  prayer,  and  stayed 
his  chastisements  for  a  year ;  but  when  this  was 
ended,  they  should  entreat  Him  no  more,  for  the 
Father  would  no  longer  delay  to  take  vengeance  on 
the  despisers  of  His  Son.  After  this  the  "  Friends 
of  God  "  returned  back  again  each  to  his  own  place. 
Respecting  the  course  they  resolved  to  pursue,  all 
that  we  can  make  out  from  the  vague  hints  in  the 
letters  of  Nicolas  is,  that  they  interpreted  the  promise 
of  the  angel  to  mean  that  they  were  to  wait  a  year 
longer  before  quitting  their  concealment  and  taking 


LAST  CONFERENCE  189 

an  open  and  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  ; 
the  only  thing  that  is  distinctly  stated  is,  that  it  was 
resolved  once  more  to  try  the  effect  of  personal 
remonstrances  with  the  Pope.  Nicolas  himself  was 
entrusted  with  this  mission,  which,  however,  from 
some  unknown  cause,  was  not  carried  out.  Mean- 
while, according  to  the  intelligence  received  from  the 
brethren  in  foreign  parts  respecting  the  progress 
of  the  schism,  affairs  were  assuming  a  more  and 
more  gloomy  aspect ;  the  confusion  and  perplexity 
occasioned  by  the  presence  of  two  Popes  was  con- 
tinually increasing  ;  the  Christian  world  was  splitting 
into  two  parties  ;  even  the  secular  authority  was 
in  danger  of  disruption  and  subversion.  The  time 
drew  nearer  and  nearer  when  Nicolas  believed  him- 
self called  on  to  begin  to  work  among  the  common 
people  ;  already,  in  June  1379,  he  calls  on  the  Stras- 
burg Master  to  warn  the  people  in  his  sermons,  and 
hold  up  before  them  the  testimonies  of  Scripture 
concerning  their  duties  in  such  a  crisis. 

As  the  end  of  the  year  approached,  during  which 
the  "  Friends  of  God  "  were  to  wait,  they  agreed 
to  hold  another  meeting.  All  the  accounts  relating 
to  this  conference  (the  latest  distinctly  recorded 
intelligence  we  have  respecting  this  extraordinary 
band  of  associates),  are  so  mixed  up  with  the  sjnn- 
bolical  and  the  marvellous,  that  it  is  extremely 
difficult  to  make  out  the  real  facts  of  the  case.  Ac- 
cording to  the  narrative  given  by  Nicolas  to  Rulman 
Merswin,  he,  with  twelve  other  "  Friends  of  God," 
were  at  Christmas  1379  warned  by  dreams  to 
assemble  together  on  the  following  Holy  Thursday, 
at  the  same  place  where  the  seven  brethren  had  met 
the  year  before.     So  early  as  February  some  of  the 


igo       TAULER'S   LIFE  AND  TIMES 

foreign  brethren  arrived  at  the  abode  of  Nicolas  :  one 
from  the  country  of  the  "  Lords  of  Meiglon,"  (prob- 
ably Milan) ;  two  from  Hungary,  whom  he  had 
known  thirty  years  before  ;  one  from  Genoa,  a  rich 
burgher,  with  whom  Nicolas  was  not  previously 
acquainted.  On  Holy  Thursday,  the  22nd  of  March, 
they  met  at  the  little  chapel  in  the  rock,  and,  after 
receiving  the  sacrament  on  Good  Friday  morning, 
repaired,  as  before,  to  the  wood,  and  sat  down  be- 
side the  stream  to  begin  their  deliberations.  What 
passed  during  these  conferences  is  only  related  in  the 
form  of  marvellous  visions  and  fantastic  occurrences. 
After  tempests  and  diabolical  apparitions,  a  bright 
light  surrounds  the  place,  and  an  invisible  speaker 
tells  them  that  the  impending  plagues  shall  be 
stayed  for  three  years  longer,  on  condition  of  their 
obeying  the  injunctions  contained  in  a  letter  which 
thereupon  drops  down  in  their  midst.  These  com- 
mands are  somewhat  mysterious  :  the  "  Friends  of 
God "  are  to  withdraw  from  their  ordinary  com- 
munications with  the  world,  except  in  the  case  of 
those  who  desire  their  counsel ;  to  receive  the 
sacrament  three  times  a  week,  &c. ;  and  after  three 
years  they  shall  receive  further  commands  from 
God.  After  they  have  declared  their  readiness  to 
obey  the  letter,  they  are  told  by  the  same  voice  to 
light  a  fire,  and  throw  it  in.  Instead  of  burning,  it 
rises  up  in  the  fire,  a  flash  of  lightning  meets  the 
flame,  and  catches  up  fire  and  letter  together  to 
heaven,  after  which  there  is  nothing  more  to  be 
seen  ;  and  the  brethren  depart  to  their  respective 
homes.  The  brethren  in  the  Oberland  commence 
their  period  of  retreat  at  Whitsuntide,  after  a  high 
mass  has  been  performed  by  the  priest  John  in  their 


VISIONS  AND   MARVELS  191 

newly-finished  church.  Nicolas  writes  beforehand 
to  Rulman  Merswin  releasing  him  from  his  obedience, 
and  recommending  him  to  take  the  Master  Henry  von 
Wolfach  for  a  confessor  in  his  stead.  To  the  latter, 
who  had  again  applied  to  know  what  course  the 
*'  Friends  of  God  "  meant  to  take  with  regard  to  the 
rival  Popes,  Nicolas  repUes  with  his  usual  caution, 
that  the  Brethren  of  St.  John  could  not  regulate 
their  conduct  in  these  matters  by  that  of  the  "  Friends 
of  God  ;  "  for  they  were  bound  to  obey  the  dictates 
of  their  superiors  in  the  Order,  while  the  latter  had 
received  many  privileges  from  Pope  Gregory,  and 
were,  moreover,  only  subject  to  their  Bishop,  who 
did  not  press  them  for  a  decision. 

It  is  certainly  very  difficult  to  know  in  what  light 
to  regard  the  marvellous  accounts  that  meet  us  in 
the  writings  of  Rulman  and  Nicolas.  Some  of  them 
seem  to  be  simply  symbolical ;  for  it  is  clear  that  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  presenting  their  views  of  human 
affairs  under  the  form  of  an  allegory,  supposed  to  be 
seen  in  a  vision  or  dream,  just  as  Bunyan  does  in 
his  "  Pilgrim's  Progress."  This  is  the  case  with 
Rulman's  Book  of  the  Nine  Rocks,  Christiana 
Ebner's  vision  of  the  Closed  Cathedral,  and  some 
unimportant  visions  occurring  in  the  letters  of 
Nicolas.*  But  the  case  is  different  when  wonders 
are  related,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  as  simple  matters 
of  fact.  That,  however,  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  ex- 
pected, and  so  were  ready  to  receive  without  much 
hesitation  as  to  their  reahty,  not  only  direct  spiritual 
communications  from  the  Divine  Being,  but  also 
miraculous  interpositions  in  physical  things,  is  per- 

•  See,  for  instance,   his  vision   of  the   Three   Birds.     (Schmidt's 
Cottesfreundc-,  S.  147.) 


192       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

f  ectly  clear  ;  and  thus  they  were  undoubtedly  open 
to  all  the  self-deception  in  these  matters  which  may 
arise  from  intense  emotion  and  mental  excitement 
acting  on  frames  disordered  by  asceticism.  Swoons 
under  the  pressure  of  religious  emotion  are  with  them, 
as  with  the  Methodists  of  the  last  century,  a  matter 
of  continual  occurrence ;  and  with  them,  as  with 
the  early  Methodists,  seem  to  have  been  not  un- 
frequently  the  crisis  of  a  state  of  overwrought 
physical  and  mental  excitement,  after  which  they 
regained  a  calmer  and  healthier  condition  both  of 
body  and  mind,  with  an  addition  of  spiritual  ex- 
perience and  enlightenment.  Such  an  occurrence  as 
a  letter  falling  from  heaven  presents  much  greater 
difficulties.  It  is  possible  that  Nicolas  may  have 
intended  the  whole  story  rather  as  an  allegory  than 
as  matter  of  fact ;  if  he  regarded  it  in  the  latter 
light,  it  must  have  been  the  result  either  of  a  terribly 
over-strained  imagination,  or  of  fraud  on  the  part 
of  some  unknown  person.  But  to  suppose  that  a 
man  of  so  much  simple  holiness  and  practical  wisdom 
as  Nicolas  appears  to  us,  should  have  taken  part  in 
juggling  tricks  of  such  dreadful  impiety  in  order  to 
persuade  his  associates  that  the  course  he  judged 
best  was  prescribed  to  them  by  Heaven,  is,  I  confess, 
a  larger  demand  upon  my  powers  of  credence  than 
they  are  able  to  meet.  Moreover,  we  must  judge 
these  accounts  by  the  age  in  which  they  were  pro- 
duced,— an  age  when  the  mental  food  of  the  pious 
laity  was  the  Hfe  of  St.  Francis  with  his  five  wounds 
and  blasphemous  "  conformities  "  to  the  life  of  our 
Lord,  and  other  works  of  a  similar  nature.  And  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  leaders  of  this  party 
— Nicolas,  Rulman,  John, — were  laymen  whose  not 


VISIONS  AND  MARVELS  193 

large  stock  of  erudition  was  self-acquired,  com- 
paratively late  in  life.  In  the  writings  of  the  scholar 
Tauler  (though,  in  common  with  all  his  contempo- 
raries, he  believes  in  ghosts  and  heavenly  visions) 
we  find  scarcely  a  trace  of  the  fanatical  creduHty 
that  meets  us  in  the  letters  of  these  lay  friends  of  his, 
if  we  are  to  take  their  statements  as  literal  and  not 
symbolical  representations  of  fact.  Even  so  doing, 
however,  if  we  compare  them  with  the  stories  con- 
tained in  the  staple  rehgious  hterature  of  the  day,  or 
even  in  the  life  of  Suso,  Tauler's  companion  and 
friend,  Nicolas  and  his  friends,  wild  as  they  may  seem 
to  us  rational  Protestants,  will  appear  scarcely  to 
leave  the  regions  of  sober  common  sense  ;  *  and  it 
is  remarkable  that,  in  most  of  the  practical  questions 
that  arise  with  regard  to  self-discipUne,  he  takes  the 
moderate  and  judicious  side. 

Whatever  interpretation,  however,  we  may  be 
inclined  to  put  upon  the  marvellous  circumstances 
attending  the  above-mentioned  conference,  it  seems 
tolerably  clear  that  the  three  years'  so-called  seclu- 
sion of  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  was  regarded  by  them 
as  a  time  of  preparation  for  their  public  work,  when 
they  should  be  "  scattered  abroad  over  Christen- 
dom ;  "  and  that  by  their  retirement,  they  were 
breaking  the  ties  that  bound  them  to  those  who 
had  hitherto  depended  on  them  for  guidance,  and 
accustoming  them  to  act  for  themselves  against  a 
time  when  they  should  no  longer  have  their  wonted 

•  This  will,  I  think,  seem  no  exaggerated  expression  to  any  reader 
who  will  take  the  pains  to  consult  only  Diepenbrock's  Life  of  Suso 
(Ratisbon,  1829),  with  Gorres'  Introduction  to  it,  and  so  see  for 
himself  the  space  that  separates  the  Romish  from  our  Protestant  point 
of  view  in  these  matters  ;  not  forgetting,  meanwhile,  that  the  Editor 
Diepenbrock  was  the  secretary  of  the  learned  Bishop  Sailer,  the  leader 
of  the  most  liberal  party  among  the  Catholics  of  almost  our  own  day. 

N 


194         TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

counsellors  at  hand.  Probably,  too,  the  brethren 
took  this  course  partly  from  the  desire  that  their 
spiritual  children  should  not  be  involved  in  the 
persecutions  which  they  could  not  but  perceive  to 
threaten  themselves,  but  might  continue  to  work 
for  the  cause  of  true  religion  in  their  respective 
spheres,  unhindered  by  the  suspicions  of  heresy, 
which  any  known  connexion  with  the  "  Friends  of 
God  "  would  have  brought  upon  them.  Not  that 
there  is  any  sign  of  the  "  Friends  of  God  "  having 
been  heretical  in  point  of  dogma  ;  it  was  rather  the 
remarkable  freedom  with  which  they  criticized  the 
conduct  both  of  the  spiritual  and  temporal  authori- 
ties that  was  likely  to  bring  them  into  trouble .  Thus , 
in  one  of  their  meetings  just  before  their  retreat,  the 
brother  who  had  been  a  Jurist  says,  that  if  offices 
in  Church  and  State  were  conferred  in  accordance 
with  God's  law,  neither  Urban  nor  Clement  deserved 
to  be  Pope  ;  the  former  had  been  appointed  by  the 
Roman  mob  through  violent  means,  and  the  latter 
was  now  defending  himself  by  similar  acts  of  violence, 
which  was  contrary  to  justice  and  God's  order.  So 
likewise,  the  King  of  Rome  had  obtained  the  crown 
after  a  shameful  fashion  (1376),  for  his  father  had 
bought  the  votes  of  the  electors  with  gold  ;  how  the 
electors  could  reconcile  it  with  their  oath  to  choose 
an  inexperienced  boy  for  their  king,  God  only  knew  ; 
with  the  subjects  matters  did  not  stand  much  better  : 
they  obeyed  their  rulers  only  so  long  as  it  served  their 
own  interests  to  do  so ;  a  godly  life  was  almost  extinct, 
ever5Avhere  prevailed  nought  but  the  striving  after 
riches  and  pleasures.*  This  passage  throws  much 
light  on  the  views  and  aims  of  the  "  Friends  of  God," 

♦  See  Schmidt's  Gottesfreunde,  S.  170.  - 


NICOLAS  OF  BASLE  195 

and  enables  us  to  form  an  idea  of  what  must  have 
been  the  frequent  topics  of  discussion  among  them. 
With  the  cessation  of  the  correspondence  between 
Nicolas  and  Rulman  Merswin,  ceases  our  only  source 
of  information  about  the  "  Friends  of  God."  Their 
term  of  waiting  expired  on  the  25th  March  1383  ; 
and  since  we  know,  from  contemporary  history,  that 
the  course  of  events,  instead  of  bringing  brighter 
prospects,  grew  ever  darker  and  more  threatening, 
we  seem  justified  in  concluding  that  they  now 
believed  the  time  to  have  arrived  for  them  "to  go 
out  into  the  five  ends  of  the  world,"  and  work  for 
Christ.  Most  likely  they  went  forth  as  preachers 
of  repentance,  for  there  occur  in  the  letters  of 
Nicolas  frequent  comparisons  of  the  present  state  of 
the  world  to  that  of  Nineveh,  and  hints  that  they 
may  have  to  act  the  part  of  Jonah.  But  where, 
and  how  long  they  did  so,  is  wrapt  in  utter  darkness. 
As  far  as  we  can  learn,  Providence  did  not  see  fit 
to  bless  their  preaching  like  that  of  Jonah,  and,  to 
human  eyes,  their  enterprise  was  a  failure.  For  all 
we  actually  know  respecting  their  subsequent  history 
is,  that  in  1393  a  certain  Martin  von  Mayence,  a 
Benedictine  monk  of  Reichenau,  in  the  diocese  of 
Constance,  who  is  called  in  the  acts  of  his  trial  a 
disciple  of  Nicolas  of  Basle  and  a  "  Friend  of  God," 
was  burnt  at  Cologne,  after  the  same  fate  had  befallen 
some  other  "  Friends  of  God,"  a  short  time  before, 
at  Heidelberg.  Active  researches  were  made  after 
Nicolas,  but  as  he  had  concealed  himself  from  his 
friends,  so  for  a  long  time  he  was  able  to  elude  the 
efforts  of  his  persecutors.  At  length,  on  a  journey 
which  he  had  undertaken  into  France,  in  order  to 
diffuse  his  doctrines,  accompanied  by  two  of  his 


196       TAULER'S  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

disciples,  James  and  John  (the  latter  most  likely  the 
converted  Jew  who  always  appears  as  his  bosom 
friend),  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Inquisitors  at 
Vienne,  in  the  diocese  of  Poitiers.  He  was  brought 
to  trial,  and  persisted  firmly  and  publicly  in  his 
heresies,  the  most  "  audacious  "  of  which  seems  to 
have  been  that  he  pretended  to  "  know  that  he  was 
in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  him."  He  was  therefore 
delivered  over  to  the  secular  power,  and  perished 
in  the  flames,  together  with  his  two  disciples,  who 
refused  to  be  parted  from  him.* 

Since,  in  the  trial  of  Martin  of  Mayence,  Nicolas 
is  spoken  of  as  still  living,  his  death  most  likely 
occurred  subsequently  to  that  date,  but  cannot  have 
taken  place  much  later,  as  he  must  then  have  been 
near  ninety  years  of  age.  Even  before  this  time, 
the  Strasburg  brethren  had  lost  all  trace  of  the 
"Friends  of  God,"  and  their  frequent  attempts  to 
discover  them  had    proved    utterly   unavailing ;  f 

*  The  following  note,  inserted  by  Schmidt  in  his  Tauler,  S.  205, 
is,  I  believe,  the  only  source  of  information  we  have  respecting  the 
end  of  the  Layman  : — 

"  fohan  Niederus,  formicarhis.  Arg.  1517,  4to.  F.  40,  &c.  :  Vivebat 
paulo  ante  [the  Council  of  Pisa]  quidam  purum  laicus,  Nycholaus 
nomine.  Hie  in  linea  Rheni  circa  Basiliam  et  infra,  primum  velut 
Beghardus  ambulans,  a  multis  qui  persequebantur  hereticos,  de  eorundem 
hereticorum  numero  quasi  unus  habebatur  suspectissimus.  Acutissimus 
enim  erat,  et  verbis  errores  coloratissime  velare  novit.  Idcirco  etiam 
manus  inquisitorum  dudum  evaserat  et  multo  tempore.  Discipulos 
igitur  quosdam  in  suam  sectam  coUegit.  Fuit  enim  professione  et 
habitu  de  damnatis  Beghardis  unus,  qui  visiones  et  revelationes  in 
praedicto  damnato  habitu  multas  habuit  quas  infallibiles  esse  credidit. 
Se  scire  affirmabat  audacter  quod  Christus  in  eo  esset  actu,  et  ipse  in 
Christo,  et  plura  alia,  quae  omnia,  captus  tandem  Wiennae  in  Pictaviensi 
diocesi,  inquisitus  fatebatur  publice.  Sed  cum  Jacobum  et  Joannem 
suspectos  in  fide,  et  sibi  conscios  suos  speciales  discipulos,  ad  jussum 
ecclesiae  eum  inquirenti  nollet  dimittere  nisi  per  ignem,  et  reportis  in 
multis  a  vera  fide  devius  et  impersuasibilis,  secularium  potestati  juste 
traditus  est  qui  eum  incinerarunt. 

t  A  detailed  account  of  these  attempts  is  given  in  Schmidt's 
Gottesfreunde,  S.  29. 


BRETHREN  SCATTERED  ABROAD   197 

no  doubt,  because  the  convent  which  they  sought 
to  find  was  already  deserted,  and  its  inmates,  whose 
names  they  had  never  known,  were  scattered  abroad 
in  fulfilment  of  their  vocation.  That  which  appears 
to  have  formed  the  chief  ground  of  their  persecution, 
was  their  effort  to  free  the  people  from  the  tyranny 
of  the  clergy,  and  their  claiming  for  every  one 
enlightened  by  God  the  right  to  teach, —  a  claim 
antagonistic  to  the  inmost  essence  of  the  Romish 
Church.  And  if  their  teaching  failed  to  effect  a  wide 
reformation  because  it  was  mingled  with  some  of  the 
great  errors  of  Rome,  and  in  place  of  priestly  authority 
over  men's  consciences  set  up  that  of  their  brethren, 
whose  inspiration  was  often  not  less  doubtful,  yet 
we  cannot  but  recognize  in  it  the  germs  of  the  true 
freedom  of  the  Gospel,  as  well  as  the  great  and  all- 
essential  truth  that  the  Christian  Hfe  does  not  consist 
in  outward  works,  but  in  the  inward  union  of  the 
spirit  with  God. 


SERMONS 

OF  THE 

Reverend  Doctor  John  Tauler 


I 

Sermon  for  the   First    Sunday  in 

Advent 

(From  the  Epistle  for  the  day) 

How  that  we  are  called  upon  to  arise  from  our  sins,  and 
to  conquer  our  foes,  looking  for  the  glorious  coming 
of  Our  Lord  in  our  souls. 

Rom.  xiii.  2. — **Now  it  is  high  time  to  awake  out  of  sleep." 

THIS  day  we  celebrate  the  beginning  of 
the  season  of  Advent,  that  is  to  say,  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  ;  and  now,  indeed,  we  enter 
on  an  exceeding  sweet  and  blessed  time,  con- 
cerning which  very  devout  and  joyful  words  are 
read  and  sung  by  the  holy  Church.  For  as  May 
excels  all  other  months  in  gladness  and  delights,  so  is 
this  season  specially  dear  to  our  hearts,  and  sacred 
above  all  other  festivals.  For  these  are  the  days 
which  the  prophets  and  righteous  men  of  the  Old 


200  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Testament  for  five  thousand  years  have  longed  and 
sighed  for,  crying  out — "  Oh  that  thou  wouldst  rend 
the  heavens  and  come  down,  to  enlighten  those  who 
are  sitting  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death." 
And,  indeed,  all  the  histories  and  symbols  of  the  Old 
Testament  are  designed  to  shadow  forth  the  greatness 
of  Him  who  should  come,  and  who  now  has  come. 
O  let  us,  therefore,  give  thanks  and  praise  to  God 
without  ceasing,  that  He  has  made  us  to  live  in  this 
His  time  of  grace,  and  is  ready  to  bestow  all  His  gifts 
and  riches  upon  us  if  we  are  but  willing  to  receive 
them. 

And  now,  as  at  this  time,  does  the  holy  Apostle 
call  upon  us  to  arise  from  the  sleep  of  sin,  "  for  the 
night  is  far  spent,  and  the  day  is  at  hand :  let  us, 
therefore,  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  let  us 
put  on  the  armour  of  light,  and  let  us  walk  honestly 
as  in  the  day." 

Now  to  this  end,  let  us  mark  diligently,  first,  how 
it  is  that  we  have  fallen  ;  and,  secondly,  how  we  are 
to  arise  from  all  our  sins  and  infirmities  into  our  first 
state  of  innocence. 

God  created  man  to  the  intent  that  he  should 
possess  those  mansions  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
from  which  Lucifer  and  his  angels  were  thrust  out. 
The  same  Lucifer,  for  his  deadly  hatred  towards  man, 
hath  seduced  him  likewise  into  disobedience  against 
God,  by  the  which  he  lost  all  the  graces  and  endow- 
ments that  were  intended  to  make  him  like  unto  God 
and  the  angels,  and  poisoned  his  own  pure  nature, 
so  that  it  became  corrupt.  And  through  this  poison 
man  has  wounded  himself  mortally  with  blindness 
in  his  reason,  with  perverseness  or  malice  in  his  will, 
with  shameful  lusts  in  his  appetites,  and  with  loss 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  201 

of  his  just  indignation  at  sin.  Man,  being  in  honour, 
understood  it  not,  and  is  become  Hke  unto  the  beasts 
that  perish. 

And  hence  it  has  come  to  pass  that  three  foes  have 
risen  up  against  him,  who,  alas  !  on  all  sides  have  got 
the  upper  hand,  and  are  ruling  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people  :  these  are,  the  World,  the  Flesh,  and  the 
Devil.  Where  these  three  have  their  will,  that  noble 
thing,  the  Soul,  is  lost,  on  which  God  hath  looked 
with  such  great  love  ;  for  those  in  whom  they  obtain 
the  mastery  do  most  surely  walk  in  a  way  that 
leadeth  unto  eternal  death.  How  cruelly  and  peril- 
ously these  three  enemies  now  reign  in  numbers  of 
men,  both  in  the  Church  and  in  the  world,  standing 
in  God's  place,  is  bewailed  with  bitter  tears  by  the 
friends  of  God,  who  love  Him  and  seek  His  glory. 
For  the  everlasting  injury  of  their  fellow-creatures  is 
a  sore  grief  to  such  men,  insomuch  that  their  heart 
is  ready  to  dry  up  within  their  body  for  anguish, 
when  they  see  self-love  so  rooted  in  men's  hearts, 
that  there  be  few  left  who  whoUy  love  God  and  have 
a  single  eye  to  His  glory. 

The  World  rules  through  pride,  outward  or  in- 
ward. How  many  are  members  of  this  Devil's 
Order  !  They  desire  to  be  and  appear  to  be  some- 
what ;  while  their  sins  and  infirmities  are  not  to  be 
numbered. 

The  Devil's  government  leads  to  bitterness,  to 
hatred  and  anger,  to  suspicion,  to  judging  others, 
to  revenge,  to  ill-will,  to  discord.  All  his  disciples 
are  quarrelsome,  unloving,  envious  of  their  neigh- 
bours. 

The  will  of  our  own  Flesh  is  set  upon  earthly 
pleasures  and  sensual  deUghts,  and  it  craveth  to  have 


202  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

the  best  of  everything,  and  continually  to  find  enjoy- 
ment in  all  things.  How  great  is  the  mischief  that 
springs  from  this  fountain,  people  do  not  know, 
especially  those  who  are  themselves  blinded  through 
it.  By  these  three  foes  are  nearly  all  men  led  astray 
to  their  eternal  loss. 

Now  he  who  desires  to  rise  again  to  his  first  honour 
and  dignity,  which  Adam  at  the  beginning,  and  we 
after  him,  have  lost  through  sin,  and  to  make  way  for 
the  coming  of  Our  Lord  in  his  soul,  must  flee  the 
world,  overcome  the  Devil,  bring  his  flesh  under 
dominion  to  his  reason,  and  exercise  himself  dihgently 
in  these  six  points  following  : — 

Man  fell  in  Paradise  through  two  things, — ^lust 
and  pride ;  so  likewise  we  must  return  by  means 
of  two  things,  for  nature  to  win  back  again  her 
original  powers.  We  must  resist  and  die  to  all 
irregular  desires,  after  a  manly  and  reasonable  sort. 
In  the  second  place,  we  must  humble  ourselves,  and 
bow  our  nature  down  to  the  earth  in  deep  humility 
before  God  and  all  men  against  whom  it  had  lifted 
itself  with  pride.  Take  always  the  lowest  place, 
and  so  shalt  thou  rise  to  the  highest.  By  these  two 
things  nature  recovers  her  original  powers. 

Next,  in  two  things  man  must  become  like  unto 
the  angels.  He  must  pardon  and  forgive  all  those 
who  do  him  wrong,  and  be  from  his  heart  the  friend 
of  his  enemies,  like  the  angels,  whom  we  ofttimes 
vex  with  our  sins.  Further,  he  must  serve  his  neigh- 
bour with  a  willing  spirit,  as  the  holy  angels  are  ever 
ministering  to  us  for  God's  sake. 

Lastly,  in  two  things  man  must  become  Hke  unto 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  First,  in  perfect  obedience, 
as  our  Lord  was  obedient  to  His  Heavenly  Father, 


TAÜLEk'S  ÖERMÖl^S  Ä03 

even  unto  death  ;  secondly,  he  must  persevere  and 
grow  in  obedience  and  in  all  virtues,  unto  his  life's 
end. 

By  these  means  the  heart  is  made  pure  and 
heavenly,  and  the  man  becomes  of  one  mind  with 
God  through  deep  humihty,  free  self  -  surrender, 
patient  long-suffering,  true  poorness  of  spirit,  and 
fervent  love  to  God.  And  all  who  do  verily  seek 
the  kingdom  of  God  (of  whom,  alas  !  how  few  is 
the  number),  do  prevail  against  their  foes,  and  God 
delivers  them  from  their  heavy  burdens,  and  helps 
them  to  bear  all  their  afflictions.  For  He  lays 
upon  them  much  suffering  of  many  kinds  ;  but  the 
righteous  God  does  this  to  the  intent  that  four  ends 
may  be  accomplished  in  them.  The  first,  that  they 
may  come  to  themselves,  and  see  whence  their 
trouble  cometh,  and  that  their  thoughts  may  be 
turned  upon  themselves  by  reason  of  the  pain,  and 
so  be  fixed.  The  second,  that  they  may  examine 
why  God  has  laid  the  burden  of  pain  upon  them ; 
and  when  they  perceive  God's  purpose  in  their 
sufferings,  let  them  strive  to  fulfil  that,  and  resign 
themselves  wholly  to  His  divine  will.  The  third, 
that  they  may  come  out  from  themselves,  and  from 
all  creatures.  The  fourth,  that  they  may  learn 
true  patience  under  diverse  afflictions.  But  what 
is  true  patience  under  affliction  ?  Is  it  to  remain 
unmoved  by  outward  things  ?  No.  True  patience 
is  that  a  man  should  feel  in  his  inmost  soul,  and 
in  utter  sincerity  thus  judge,  that  no  one  could  or 
might  do  him  a  real  injustice,  but  always  remember 
that  he  is  receiving  no  worse  than  his  deserts,  for  he 
might  justly  have  far  more  to  suffer  and  endure ; 
insomuch  that  he  may  feel  nothing  but  gentleness 


ao4  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  compassion  towards  all  who  do  him  wrong. 
Such  men  are  followers  of  Christ,  our  humble  Master, 
in  whom  He  reigns,  and  to  whom  He  said  :  "  If  ye 
continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples 
indeed  ;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth 
shall  make  you  free." 

Now  there  are  two  sorts  of  men  who  follow  after 
the  word  of  Christ.  The  one  sort  hear  it  with  joy, 
and  follow  after  it  as  far  as  they  are  able  with  their 
reason  to  perceive  its  truth,  and  take  it  in  just  in  the 
same  way  as  their  reason  takes  in  what  is  concerned 
with  the  world  of  sense;  and  all  this  they  do  by 
means  of  their  natural  hght,  but  they  make  no 
account  of  anything  that  they  themselves  do  not 
feel  or  enter  into  ;  but  with  these  natural  powers  of 
theirs,  they  are  ever  running  out  to  catch  up  and 
understand  some  new  thing.  They  have  not  learnt 
by  experience  that  they  ought  to  die  to  this  restless- 
ness ;  but  if  they  are  ever  to  grow  better  men,  they 
must  try  another  road. 

But  the  other  sort  turn  their  thoughts  inward,  and 
remain  resting  on  the  inmost  foundation  of  their 
souls,  simply  looking  to  see  the  hand  of  God  with 
the  eyes  of  their  enlightened  reason,  and  await  from 
within  their  summons  and  their  call  to  go  whither 
God  would  have  them.  And  this  they  receive  from 
God  without  any  means  ;  but  what  is  given  through 
means,  such  as  other  mortal  men,  for  instance,  is  as 
it  were  tasteless  ;  moreover,  it  is  seen  as  through  a 
veil,  and  spHt  up  into  fragments,  and  bears  within  it 
a  certain  sting  of  bitterness.  It  always  retains  the 
savour  of  that  which  is  of  the  creature,  which  it  must 
needs  lose  and  be  purified  from,  if  it  is  to  become  in 
truth  food  for  the  spirit,  and  to  enter  into  the  very 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  205 

substance  of  the  soul.  For  those  who  perceive  God's 
gifts  and  leadings  from  within,  whether  by  the  help  of 
means  or  without  means,  do  receive  them  from  their 
fountain-head,  and  carry  them  back  again  unto  their 
fountain-head  in  the  Divine  goodness.  These  are 
they  who  draw  and  drink  from  the  true  well,  of 
which  Christ  said  :  "  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst." 
But  the  first  of  whom  we  spoke  are  seeking  their  own 
things  ;  wherever  they  are,  and  whatever  they  do, 
they  are  always  standing  upon  their  own  foundation. 
Yet,  in  truth,  they  can  never  find  their  own  good 
so  certain  and  so  unmixed,  as  in  its  inward  source, 
without  the  aid  of  means. 

Now  you  may  ask,  How  can  we  come  to  perceive 
this  direct  leading  of  God  ?  By  a  careful  looking  at 
home,  and  abiding  within  the  gates  of  thy  own  soul. 
Therefore,  let  a  man  be  at  home  in  his  own  heart, 
and  cease  from  his  restless  chase  of  and  search  after 
outward  things.  If  he  is  thus  at  home  while  on 
earth,  he  will  surely  come  to  see  what  there  is  to 
do  at  home, — what  God  commands  him  inwardly 
without  means,  and  also  outwardly  by  the  help  of 
means ;  and  then  let  him  surrender  himself,  and 
follow  God  along  whatever  path  his  loving  Lord 
thinks  fit  to  lead  him  :  whether  it  be  to  contempla- 
tion or  action,  to  usefulness  or  enjoyment ;  whether 
in  sorrow  or  in  joy,  let  him  follow  on.  And  if  God 
do  not  give  him  thus  to  feel  His  hand  in  all  things, 
let  him  still  simply  yield  himself  up,  and  go  without 
for  God's  sake,  out  of  love,  and  still  press  forward, 
setting  ever  before  him  the  lovely  example  of  our 
Blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  who  did  all  his  works 
for  three  ends : 


2o6  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

The  first  was,  that  in  all  His  doings  He  sought 
the  glory  of  His  Heavenly  Father  only,  and  not  His 
own  in  any  matter,  whether  great  or  small,  and 
committed  all  things  into  His  hands  again. 

The  second  was,  that  with  His  whole  heart  He 
purposed  and  sought  the  salvation  and  blessedness  of 
men,  that  He  might  lay  hold  on  all  men,  and  bring 
them  to  the  acknowledgment  of  His  Name,  according 
to  the  words  of  St.  Paiil :  "  God  will  have  all  men 
to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth.» 

The  third  end  which  He  kept  in  view,  in  all  His 
words,  and  works,  and  life,  was,  that  He  might  give 
us  a  true  example  and  model  of  a  perfect  Hfe  in  its 
highest  form. 

The  men  who  thus  tread  in  His  steps  do  become, 
in  very  truth,  the  noblest  and  most  glorious  of  their 
race  ;  and  those  who  are  thus  born  again  into  His 
life,  are  the  rich  and  costly  jewels  of  the  Holy 
Christian  Church,  and  in  all  ages  they  work  out  the 
highest  good,  while  they  look  not  to  the  greatness 
or  meanness  of  their  work,  nor  to  their  success  or 
failure,  but  look  only  to  the  will  of  God  in  all  things  ; 
and  for  this  cause  all  their  works  are  the  best  that 
may  be.  Neither  do  they  look  whether  God  will 
place  them  high  or  low,  for  the  only  thing  they  care 
for  is,  that  in  all  things  ahke  God's  will  may  be  done. 
God  grant  that  it  may  be  thus  with  each  of  us. 
Amen. 


II 

Sermon   for   the    Second   Sunday 

in  Advent 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

How  that  God  is  very  near  to  us,  and  how  we  must  seek 
and  find  the  Kingdom  of  God  within  us,  without 
respect  to  time  and  place* 

Luke  xxi.  31. — "Know  ye  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand." 

OUR  Lord  says  here  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  nigh  to  us.  Yea,  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
in  us  ;  and  St.  Paul  says,  that  now  is  our  salvation 
nearer  to  us  than  we  beheve. 

^  Now  ye  ought  to  know,  first,  how  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  nigh  at  hand  ;  secondly,  when  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  nigh  at  hand. 

Now  we  must  give  earnest  heed  to  take  note  of  all 
that  is  contained  in  these  words,  "  The  kingdom  of 
God  is  nigh  at  hand."  For  if  I  were  a  king,  and 
did  not  know  it,  I  should  be  no  king ;  but  if  I  were 
fully  convinced  that  I  was  a  king,  and  if  all  men 
deemed  me  so  likewise,  and  further,  if  I  knew  that  all 
men  deemed  me  such,  I  should  be  a  king,  and  all  the 
riches  of  the  king  would  be  mine.  But  if  any  of 
these  three  things  were  wanting,  I  could  be  no  king. 

•  This  Sermon  is  believed  to  be  by  Master  Eckart. 


2o8  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

In  like  manner  does  our  blessedness  depend  upon  our 
perceiving  and  knowing  the  Highest  Good,  which 
is  God  Himself.  I  have  a  power  in  my  soul  which 
enables  me  to  perceive  God  :  I  am  as  certain  as  that 
i  I  live  that  nothing  is  so  near  to  me  as  God.  He  is 
5,  nearer  to  me  than  I  am  to  myself.  It  is  a  part  of 
His  very  essence  that  He  should  be  nigh  and  present 
•to  me.  He  is  also  nigh  to  a  stone  or  a  tree,  but  they 
"do  not  know  it.  If  a  tree  could  know  God,  and  per- 
ceive His  presence  as  the  highest  of  the  angels  per- 
ceives it,  the  tree  would  be  as  blessed  as  the  highest 
angel.  And  it  is  because  man  is  capable  of  perceiving 
God,  and  knowing  how  nigh  God  is  to  him,  that  he 
is  better  off  than  a  tree.  And  he  is  more  blessed  or 
less  blessed  in  the  same  measure  as  he  is  aware  of  the 
presence  of  God.  It  is  not  because  God  is  in  him, 
and  so  close  to  him,  and  he  hath  God,  that  he  is 
blessed,  but  because  he  perceives  God's  presence,  and 
knows  and  loves  Him  ;  and  such  an  one  will  feel  that 
God's  kingdom  is  nigh  at  hand. 

Often,  when  I  meditate  on  the  kingdom  of  God, 
I  cannot  speak  for  the  greatness  thereof.  For  the 
kingdom  of  God,  what  is  it  but  God  Himself  with  all 
His  riches  ?  The  kingdom  of  God  is  no  small  thing. 
If  we  think  of  all  the  worlds  that  God  could  create, 
that  is  not  the  kingdom  of  God.  When  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  manifested  in  a  soul,  and  she  knows  it,  you 
need  not  to  preach  or  to  teach ;  for  that  souJ  is 
taught  of  God,  and  assured  of  eternal  life.  He  who 
knows  and  perceives  how  nigh  God's  kingdom  is, 
may  say  with  Jacob :  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this 
place,  and  I  knew  it  not." 

God  is  alike  near  in  all  creatures.  The  wise  man 
says :    "  God  hath  spread  out  His  nets  and  snares 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  209 

over  all  creatures,  so  that  he  who  desireth  to  perceive 
Him,  may  find  Him  in  every  one  of  them." 

A  Master  has  said  :  "He  knoweth  God  aright  who 
knoweth  him  in  all  things  alike."  He  who  serveth 
God  with  fear,  it  is  good  ;  he  who  serveth  Him  with 
love,  it  is  better  ;  but  he  who  in  fear  can  love,  that 
is  the  best  of  all.  That  a  man  should  have  a  hfe  of 
quiet  or  rest  in  God  is  good  ;  that  a  man  should  lead 
a  painful  Hfe  in  patience  is  better  ;  but  that  a  man 
should  have  rest  in  a  painful  Hfe  is  best  of  all. 
Whether  a  man  walk  out  in  the  fields  and  say  his 
prayers,  and  feel  God's  presence,  or  whether  he  be  in 
the  church  and  feel  God's  presence,  does  he  perceive 
Him  any  the  better  because  he  is  in  a  place  of  rest  ? 
If  he  do,  it  comes  from  his  own  infirmity  ;  the 
difference  is  not  on  God's  side,  for  God  is  in  all  things 
and  places  alike,  and  is  ever  alike  ready  to  give 
Himself  to  us,  in  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  receive 
Him  ;  and  he  knows  God  aright  who  sees  Him  in  all 
things. 

St.  Bernard  says  :  "  Why  does  my  eye  perceive 
the  heavens,  and  not  my  feet  ?  Because  my  eye  is 
more  hke  the  heavens  than  my  feet."  Thus,  if  my 
soul  is  to  perceive  God,  it  must  be  heavenly.  Now 
what  will  bring  the  soul  to  see  God  in  herself,  and 
know  how  nigh  God  is  to  her  ?  Consider  !  The 
heavens  cannot  take  any  imprint  from  other  things, 
neither  can  they,  by  any  violence  or  force,  be  turned 
from  their  order.  In  like  manner,  the  soul  that 
would  know  God  must  be  so  grounded  and  built  up 
in  Him,  that  neither  hope,  nor  fear,  nor  joy,  nor 
sorrow,  nor  weal  or  woe,  nor  anything  else,  can  so 
move  it  as  to  force  it  from  its  place  in  Him. 

The  heavens  are  everywhere  ahke  far  from  the 
o 


aio  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

earth :  thus  shall  the  soul  be  alike  far  from  all  earthly 
things,  that  she  be  not  nearer  to  one  than  to  another, 
but  keep  herself  alike  far  from  all,  in  joy  and 
sorrow,  in  prosperity  and  adversity,  for  she  must 
be  utterly  dead  to  all  that  is  of  the  earth,  earthly, 
and  altogether  raised  above  it. 

The  heavens  are  pure  and  bright,  without  a  speck  ; 
they  have  nought  to  do  with  time  or  space  ;  no 
bodies  have  a  fixed  place  therein  ;  neither  are  the 
heavens  subject  to  time :  their  circuit  is  swift 
beyond  belief ;  their  course  is  without  time,  yet 
from  their  course  cometh  time. 

Nothing  hinders  the  soul  so  much  in  its  knowledge 
of  God  as  time  and  place.  Time  and  place  are  parts, 
and  God  is  one ;  therefore,  if  our  soul  is  to  know  God, 
it  must  know  Him  above  time  and  place,  for  God 
is  neither  this  nor  that,  like  these  complex  things 
around  us,  for  God  is  one. 

If  the  soul  is  to  see,  she  must  not  look  at  the  things 
that  exist  in  time,  for  so  long  as  she  is  looking  at  time 
and  place,  or  at  the  phenomena  dependent  thereon, 
she  can  never  perceive  God  Himself :  just  as,  if  mine 
eye  is  to  perceive  colour,  it  must  first  be  cleared  of  all 
tint  in  itself.  If  the  soul  is  to  know  God,  she  must 
have  no  fellowship  with  that  which  is  Nought.  He 
who  sees  God,  knows  that  all  creatures  are  nought ; 
for  when  you  compare  one  creature  with  another,  it 
indeed  appears  beautiful  and  is  somewhat,  but  when 
you  compare  it  with  God  it  is  nothing.  I  say  more  : 
if  the  soul  is  to  know  God,  she  must  forget  herself 
and  lose  herself,  for  while  she  is  looking  at  and 
thinking  about  herself,  she  is  not  looking  at  or 
thinking  about  God ;  but  when  she  loses  herself  in 
God,  and  lets  go  of  all  things,  then  she  finds  herself 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  211 

again  in  God.  When  she  comes  to  know  God,  then 
does  she  know  to  perfection  in  Him,  both  herself 
and  all  the  things  from  which  she  has  separated 
herself.  If  I  am  truly  to  know  the  Highest  Good, 
or  the  Eternal  Goodness,  I  must  know  it  in  that 
wherein  it  is  good,  namely,  in  itself, — not  in  those 
things  in  which  it  is  only  in  part.  If  I  am  to  know 
real  Being,  I  must  know  it  in  that  where  it  is  self- 
existent,  that  is,  in  God.  In  God  alone  is  the  true 
Divine  Substance  :  in  one  man  you  have  not  all 
humanity,  for  one  man  is  not  all  men  ;  but  in  God 
the  soul  knows  aU  humanity,  and  aU  things  in  their 
Ideal,  for  she  knows  them  in  their  Substance. 
When  a  man  has  been  within  a  beautifully-painted 
house,  he  knows  much  more  about  it  than  another 
who  has  never  been  inside  it,  and  is  able  to  tell  much 
about  it.  So  I  am  as  certain  as  that  I  live  and  God 
lives,  that  if  the  soul  is  to  know  God,  she  must  know 
Him  above  time  and  space  ;  and  such  a  soul  knows 
God,  and  knows  how  nigh  God's  kingdom  is ;  that 
is,  God  with  aU  His  riches. 

The  Masters  have  set  forth  many  questions  in  the 
Schools  as  to  how  it  be  possible  for  the  soul  to  know 
God.  It  is  not  of  God's  severity  that  He  requires 
much  from  man  ;  it  is  of  His  great  kindness  that  He 
will  have  the  soul  to  open  herself  wider,  to  be  able  to 
receive  much,  that  He  may  bestow  much  upon  her. 
Let  no  one  think  that  it  is  hard  to  attain  thereunto. 
Although  it  sound  hard,  and  is  hard  at  first,  as  touch- 
ing the  forsaking  and  dying  to  all  things,  yet,  when 
one  has  reached  this  state,  no  life  can  be  easier  or 
sweeter,  or  fuller  of  pleasures  ;  for  God  is  right  dili- 
gent to  be  with  us  at  all  seasons,  and  to  teach  us,  that 
He  may  bring  us  to  Himself  when  we  are  hke  to 


212  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

go  astray.  None  of  us  ever  desired  anything  more 
ardently  than  God  desires  to  bring  men  to  the 
knowledge  of  Himself. 

God  is  ever  ready,  but  we  are  very  unready  ;  God 
is  nigh  to  us,  but  we  are  far  from  Him ;  God  is 
within,  we  are  without ;  God  is  at  home,  we  are 
strangers.  The  Prophet  says  :  "  God  leadeth  the 
righteous  by  a  narrow  path  into  a  broad  highway,  till 
they  come  unto  a  wide  and  open  place  :  "  *  that  is, 
unto  the  true  freedom  of  that  spirit  which  hath 
become  one  spirit  with  God.  God  help  us  all  to 
follow  Him,  that  He  may  bring  us  unto  Himself ! 
Amen. 

*  The  Translator  has  not  been  able  to  determine  what  is  the  passage 
referred  to  in  the  original,  which  runs  thus :  Gott  führet  die  Gerechten 
durch  einen  engen  Weg  in  die  breite  Strasse,  dass  sie  kotnmen  in  die 
Weite  und  in  die  Breite. 


Ill 

Sermon  for  the  Third  Sunday 
in  Advent 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

How  that  we  must  wholly  come  out  from  ourselves,  that 
we  may  go  into  the  wilderness  and  behold  God. 

Matt.  xi.  7. — "What  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness  for  to  see  ?" 

OUR  Lord  Jesus  Christ  said  unto  the  Jews, 
"  What  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness  for 
to  see  ?  A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  ?  "  In  these 
words  let  us  consider  three  things  :  First,  the  going 
out  ;  secondly,  the  wilderness  ;  thirdly,  what  we 
are  to  see  there. 

First,  let  us  consider  the  going  out.  This  blessed 
going  out  takes  place  in  four  ways  : — 

The  first  way  is  to  come  out  from  the  world,  that 
is,  from  the  craving  after  worldly  advantages,  and 
to  despise  them,  according  to  that  precept  of  St. 
John,  "  Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that 
are  in  the  world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the 
love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him."  Those  who  thus 
forsake  the  love  of  the  world,  may  be  fitly  said  to 
come  out  of  Egypt,  leaving  King  Pharaoh  behind  ; 
that  is,  they  purpose  to  forsake  pride,  vain-glory, 
presumption,  and  all  other  sins.     And  those  who 


214  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

are  thus  minded  do  greatly  need  a  Moses  to  be  their 
leader  and  commander  ;  for  he  was  very  gentle 
and  merciful,  and  in  their  coming  out  they  require 
to  be  treated  with  great  gentleness,  and  kindness, 
and  forbearance.  But  such  as  come  out  from 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  that  is,  those  who  have  to 
depart  from  covetousness,  intemperance,  and  un- 
chastity,  and  are  hard  beset  by  these  foes,  do 
need  an  angel  for  their  leader  and  guide  ;  that  is 
to  say,  a  man  who  can  have  compassion  on  them, 
but  who  is  himself  temperate,  pure,  and  strict  in 
life.  Now  those  who  do  thus  suffer  themselves  to 
be  led  and  guided,  shall  be  verily  delivered  from 
all  their  pride  and  sensuality,  as  Isaiah  says  :  "  Ye 
shall  go  out  with  joy,  and  be  led  forth  with 
peace ; "  and  as  Christ  also  says :  "In  the  world 
ye  shaU  have  tribulation,  but  in  me  ye  shall  have 
peace." 

The  second  kind  of  coming  out  is  to  loose  thy  hold 
on  outward  things,  to  cease  from  thy  vain  anxieties, 
thy  selfish  wishing  and  planning,  and  to  turn  thy 
thoughts  inward,  that  thou  mayest  learn  to  know 
thyself,  and  to  see  what  thou  art,  how  thou  art,  and 
in  what  it  standeth  amiss  with  thee.  He  who  is  too 
full  of  his  own  joys  or  sorrows  to  get  beyond  himself 
can  never  come  to  know  himself.  So  St.  Bernard 
says  :  "It  were  better  to  know  thyself,  and  to  see 
how  sick  and  full  of  infirmities  thou  art,  than  to  be 
master  of  all  the  sciences  in  the  world."  Therefore 
says  Solomon  in  his  Song  :  "If  thou  know  not  [thy- 
self], O  thou  fairest  among  women,  go  thy  way 
forth  by  the  footsteps  of  the  flock  [of  thy  com- 
panions] :  "  which  signifies,  consider  the  lives  of 
God's  saints,  and  look  at  thyself   in  that  mirror; 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  215 

that  is  to  say,  follow  their  example,  and  walk  not 
alter  thine  own  will. 

The  third  kind  of  going  out  is  to  give  up  thine 
own  ease  and  thine  own  way,  and  to  devote  thyself, 
so  far  as  thou  art  able,  to  thy  neighbour,  to  help  him 
by  counsel  and  deed,  and  by  thine  own  good  example, 
to  the  utmost  of  thy  power  and  the  best  of  thy  know- 
ledge, in  a  constant  spirit  of  hearty  love,  that  he  may 
be  brought  to  the  things  that  make  for  his  eternal 
peace.  For  this  is  the  commandment  of  the  Lord, 
"  That  ye  love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you. 
By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples, 
if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  So  likewise  St. 
Paul  says  :  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and 
so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ."  Just  as  it  is  said  in  the 
Book  of  Genesis  :  "  Except  ye  bring  your  youngest 
brother  with  you,  ye  shall  see  my  face  no  more." 
This  is  also  plainly  meant  in  the  Book  of  Canticles, 
where  we  read,  "  Come,  my  beloved,  let  us  go  forth 
into  the  field  ;  let  us  get  up  early  to  the  vineyards, 
and  let  us  lodge  in  the  villages,  and  let  us  see  if  the 
vine  flourish." 

The  fourth  kind  of  going  out  is  to  forsake  every- 
thing but  God,  so  that  our  love  towards  God  should 
be  the  strongest  love  we  have  ;  and  we  should  indeed 
love  Him  with  all  our  heart,  and  with  all  our  soul, 
and  with  all  our  strength.  As  it  was  said  unto 
Abraham  :  "  Get  thee  out  of  thy  country,  and  from 
thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house  :  "  that  is 
to  say,  "  Set  not  your  affections  on  the  things  that 
perish,  but  on  God  only  ;  and  whatever  you  possess, 
thank  God  for  it,  and  use  it  for  Him."  Thus  had 
the  woman  of  Canaan  come  out,  as  her  words  indeed 
testify  :  "  True,  Lord,  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs 


2i6  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

that  fall  from  their  master's  table  ;  "  and  therefore 
she  obtained  her  request.  Thus  it  is  said  to  the 
loving  soul  and  her  companions  :  "Go  forth,  O  ye 
daughters  of  Zion."  Well  may  it  be  said  ''  ye 
daughters,"  and  not  sons  ;  for  they  are  still  feeble 
in  understanding,  and  troubled  with  many  womanish 
fears,  and  not  yet  strong  in  renunciation,  but  are  still 
tender  and  weak,  Hke  maidens  or  daughters. 

The  second  subject  for  our  consideration  is  "  the 
wilderness."  When  men  have  forsaken  sins  and 
worldly  ambition,  they  come  into  the  wilderness, 
which  signifies  a  spiritual  life,  or  the  life  of  one 
who  is  dead  to  the  world.  Now  there  are  two  kinds 
of  wilderness,  a  good  and  a  bad.  It  is  an  evil  wilder- 
ness when  a  man's  heart  is  filled  with  vanity,  and 
barren  of  good  deeds,  of  love  and  of  heavenly 
aspiration,  and  far  and  wide  in  the  Church,  or  in 
the  temple  of  the  soul,  there  rises  no  incense  of 
praise  to  God  ;  when  the  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
that  is  to  say  all  good  thoughts,  are  scattered,  each 
to  his  own  way.  But  that  is  a  wilderness  which 
is  very  fruitful  and  good,  when  the  whirlwinds  of 
earthly  cares  or  passions  are  laid  to  rest,  and  the 
billows  of  worldly  desire  and  creature  aims  cease 
to  swell  up  in  the  depths  of  the  heart.  And  then, 
even  though  the  first  sharp  dart  of  pain  pierce 
through  every  nerve  of  body  and  mind,  yet  in 
the  deep  sources  of  his  will,  the  man  remains  un- 
daunted. .  That  is  a  good  wilderness  when  without 
there  are  storms,  yet  within  there  is  peace  ;  the 
wilderness  of  which  God  said  by  the  prophet :  "I 
will  bring  you  into  the  wilderness,  and  there  will 
I  plead  with  you  face  to  face  ;  "  for  no  one  does 
hear  or  understand  what  is  in  him,  and  what  God 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  217 

says  in  his  soul,  until  he  is  brought  into  this 
wilderness. 

There  are  three  reasons  why  a  spiritual  life  is 
called  a  wilderness,  or  a  life  in  the  desert.  The  first 
is  on  account  of  the  small  number  who  do  turn  from 
the  world  and  go  forth  into  it,  and  because  the 
common  way  of  the  world  is  for  each  man  to 
follow  his  own  earthly  objects.  But  it  is  the  wisest 
course  to  drive  out  the  world  from  the  heart,  by 
banishing  the  very  thoughts  and  images  thereof, 
and,  with  Moses,  go  into  the  depths  of  the  wilderness 
and  dwell  therein,  that  so  we  may  the  better  watch 
over  and  guard  our  sheep  ;  that  is  to  say,  escape 
the  assaults  of  inward  temptation,  and  the  wander- 
ings of  the  imagination  into  forbidden  fields.  And 
as,  when  Moses  drove  his  sheep  into  the  farthest 
comers  of  the  wilderness,  God  revealed  Himself  to 
him  there  in  a  burning  bush,  so  likewise  shalt  thou 
be  filled  with  burning  love  and  holy  longing,  and 
follow  on  to  know  God. 

This  is  the  beauteous  wilderness  of  which  Solomon 
speaks  when  he  says  :  *'  Who  is  this  that  cometh  up 
out  of  the  wilderness  like  a  pillar  of  smoke,  perfumed 
with  myrrh  and  frankincense  ?  "  St.  Gregory  says  : 
"It  is  the  nature  and  property  of  love  to  rise  up 
unceasingly  from  itself  to  God  with  holy  aspira- 
tion, never  resting  till  it  hath  reached  and  embraced 
the  Highest  Good  ;  for  nothing  on  earth  can  draw  it 
down  or  imprison  its  flame,  but  it  soars  ever  up- 
wards to  God  above  itself."  And  so  it  is  with  good 
men  ;  and  the  closer  they  cling  to  Him  whom  they 
love,  the  more  do  they  turn  from  and  despise  all  the 
smiles  of  the  world.  They  cleave  with  steadfast 
desire  unto  God,  as  Job  says  :   "  Even  that  it  would 


2i8  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

please  God  to  destroy  me  ;  that  he  would  let  loose  his 
hand,  and  cut  me  off !  Then  should  I  yet  have 
comfort."  Of  this  wilderness  say  the  angels ; 
"  Who  is  this  that  cometh  up  from  the  wilderness, 
leaning  upon  her  beloved  ?  "  and  the  loving  soul 
answers  :  "I  have  found  him  whom  my  soul  loveth, 
I  have  laid  hold  on  him  and  will  not  let  him  go." 
For  those  who  come  into  this  wilderness  are  able  to 
taste  and  tell  of  secret  and  inward  matters.  More- 
over, in  the  exercise  of  love  all  virtues  do  spring  up 
and  grow.  So  Christ,  on  Mount  Tabor,  took  to 
Himself  all  His  glory,  for  an  image  to  us  of  that  fruit 
of  the  wilderness  which  shall  be  ours  also  if  we  give 
ourselves  unto  God.  For  St.  Paul  says  :  "  But 
we  all  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the  same 
image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord." 

Again,  a  spiritual  hfe  may  be  fitly  called  a  wilder- 
ness, by  reason  of  the  many  sweet  flowers  which 
spring  up  and  flourish  where  they  are  not  trodden 
under  foot  by  man.  In  this  respect  the  life  of  one 
dead  to  the  world  may  well  be  hkened  to  a  wilder- 
ness, seeing  that  so  many  virtues  may  be  learned 
by  continual  and  earnest  striving  ;  but  because  the 
effort  needed  is  toilsome  and  painful  at  the  first,  few 
are  willing  to  make  it.  In  this  wilderness  are  found 
the  lilies  of  chastity,  and  the  white  roses  of  innocence ; 
and  therein  are  found  too  the  red  roses  of  sacrifice, 
when  flesh  and  blood  are  consumed  in  the  struggle 
with  sin,  and  the  man  is  ready,  if  need  be,  to  suffer 
martyrdom, — the  which  is  not  easily  to  be  learned 
in  the  world.  In  this  wilderness,  too,  are  found  the 
violets  of  humility,  and  many  other  fair  flowers  and 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  219 

wholesome  roots,  in  the  examples  of  holy  men  of 
God.  And  in  this  wilderness  shalt  thou  choose  for 
thyself  a  pleasant  spot  wherein  to  dwell ;  that  is, 
a  holy  Ufe,  in  which  thou  may  est  follow  the  example 
of  God's  saints  in  pureness  of  heart,  poverty  of 
spirit,  true  obedience,  and  all  other  virtues  ;  so  that 
it  may  be  said,  as  it  is  in  the  Canticles  :  "  Many 
flowers  have  appeared  in  our  land  ;  "  for  many  have 
died  full  of  holiness  and  good  works. 

A  third  likeness  between  a  spiritual  Ufe  and  the 
wilderness  is  that  we  find  in  the  wilderness  so  little 
provision  for  the  flesh,  and  therefore  the  lovers  of  this 
world  cannot  live  there.  Thus  did  the  children  of 
Israel  complain  against  Moses  because  they  lacked 
many  things.  By  this  we  are  to  understand  a  hfe  of 
moderation,  girding  up  the  loins  with  manly  vigour. 
And  every  man  is  bound  to  lead  such  a  life  ;  for  had 
he  the  whole  world  wherewith  to  supply  his  wants, 
he  would  still  be  bound  scrupulously  to  take  no  more 
than  sufficient  for  his  real  necessities.  Moreover  by 
such  a  life  all  the  powers  of  the  soul  are  braced  up. 
And  although  there  is  little  to  deUght  the  senses  in 
this  wilderness,  there  is  much  of  the  comfort  of  the 
spirit,  which  far  excels  the  pleasures  of  the  world. 
Isaiah  says  :  "  For  the  Lord  shall  comfort  Zion  ; 
he  will  comfort  all  her  waste  places  ;  and  he  wiU 
make  her  wilderness  like  Eden,  and  her  desert  hke 
the  garden  of  the  Lord."  And  again :  "  I  will 
make  the  wilderness  a  pool  of  water,  and  the  dry 
land  springs  of  water."  Thus  the  soHtary  soul  bears 
many  more  children  of  good  works  than  she  that 
is  married  to  the  world.  So  Pharaoh  was  com- 
manded by  God  to  let  His  people  go  forth  into 
the  desert,  that  they  might  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord, 


220  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  receive  spiritual  manna  instead  of  the  carnal 
pleasures  of  Egypt. 

The  third  thing  for  our  consideration  is  what  we 
are  to  see  in  the  wilderness.  When  a  man  has  gone 
out  into  the  wilderness,  he  is  bidden  to  look  with  his 
inward  eye  upon  "  the  king  and  his  bride,"  which  is 
the  soul,  with  all  her  hidden  treasures  of  loveliness. 
It  is  written,  "  Go  forth,  O  ye  daughters  of  Zion, 
and  behold  the  king ;  "  that  is,  Solomon,  who  is  a 
type  of  Christ,  of  whom  Isaiah  says  :  "  To  us  a  child 
is  bom,  unto  us  a  son  is  given :  and  the  govern- 
ment shall  be  upon  his  shoulder ;  and  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful."  And  now  behold  how 
wonderful  God  is  in  His  deity,  that  He  has  become 
man  for  the  sake  of  His  bride.  This  is  the  miracle 
that  Moses  saw,  and  said :  "I  will  now  turn  aside 
and  see  this  great  sight,  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt." 
The  thorn  -  bush  is  Christ's  human  nature  ;  the 
flame  is  His  soul  filled  with  burning  love  ;  the  light 
is  His  deity  shining  through  His  mortal  body.  Now, 
consider  this  Christ  and  Solomon,  upon  whom  is 
poured  out  without  measure  that  wisdom  which 
comprehends  all  things  in  its  grasp  :  He  is  the  Truth 
who  hath  taught  us  the  way  to  heaven  ;  let  the  soul 
look  upon  Him,  that  she  may  follow  Him,  to  live 
after  His  spirit,  and  not  after  her  own  incUnation, 
and  her  nature  shall  be  greatly  strengthened  to  fight 
the  good  fight  when  she  considers  the  nature  of  her 
King,  how  He  fulfilled  His  pilgrimage.  For  it  shall 
greatly  refresh  the  loving  soul  to  remember  from 
time  to  time  His  human  infirmities,  and  from  time 
to  time  to  rejoice  in  His  hfe  in  the  spirit. 

A  master  has  said:  "  Excess^^in  ,.i,pleasures 
enfeebles    the    powers,    and    overflowing    spiritual 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  221 

emotions  consume  the  spirit.  Great  joy  cannot 
last  always,  but  while  here  we  have  need  of  variable- 
ness in  our  joys  ;  for  it  is  not  yet  given  to  the  soul 
to  serve  God  in  the  holy  of  holies."  Therefore  shall 
the  soul  sometimes  contemplate  the  divine  greatness 
of  Christ,  and  sometimes  His  holy  humanity.  A 
soul  that  is  as  yet  inexperienced  and  strange  in  the 
things  of  God  shall  be  bidden  to  beUeve  in  God  ; 
but  a  fervent,  tried,  and  experienced  soul  shall  be 
invited  to  behold  the  King  in  his  beauty.  And  hence 
the  loving  soul  shall  see  with  her  inward  eye  in 
what  wise  she  ought  to  yield  to  or  withstand  her 
fellow-Christians  of  mankind.  St.  Bernard  says : 
"  O  Lord,  come  quickly  and  reign  on  Thy  throne,  for 
now  ofttimes  something  rises  up  within  me,  and  tries 
to  take  possession  of  Thy  throne  ;  pride,  covetous- 
ness,  uncleanness,  and  sloth  want  to  be  my  kings  ; 
and  then  evil-speaking,  anger,  hatred,  and  the  whole 
train  of  vices  join  with  me  in  warring  against  myself, 
and  try  to  reign  over  me.  I  resist  them,  I  cry  out 
against  them,  and  say,  '  I  have  no  other  king  than 
Christ.'  O  King  of  Peace,  come  and  reign  in  me, 
for  I  will  have  no  king  but  Thee  !  "  And  Gilbert 
says  :  "  O  Lord,  I  endure  Thy  hand  upon  me,  and 
press  forward  with  straining  eyes,  with  knocking, 
with  prayers,  and  through  many  heights  and  depths 
of  joy  and  sorrow."  But  O,  who  can  faint  and 
grow  weary  in  making  himself  ready  for  such  a  king, 
when  he  remembers  how  God  has  made  our  httle 
nature  able  to  receive  His  divine  Substance,  and  has 
even  taken  upon  Himself  our  nature,  and  invested 
Himself  with  the  colours  of  our  humanity,  and  so 
revealed  His  beauty  unto  us,  and  loveth  us  much 
more  than  we  love  Him  !     I  were  in  truth  worthy  of 


222  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

all  condemnation,  if  I  did  not  love  Him  above  all 
things,  when  He  asketh  nothing  from  me  but  to  love 
Him! 

Therefore  let  us  in  the  first  place  come  out  wholly 
from  ourselves,  that  we  may,  in  the  next  place,  enter 
into  this  blessed  wilderness,  and,  in  the  third  place, 
desire  to  know  and  behold  the  true  King  and  bride- 
groom of  the  soul.  And  to  this  end  the  Moses  of  a 
holy  Will  must  lead  us  into  the  Mount  of  God.  But 
the  people  whom  Moses  led  up  out  of  Egypt  are  an 
image  of  those  who,  having  newly  laid  aside  their 
evil  customs,  do  easily  return  to  their  old  ways,  and 
make  to  themselves  in  the  wilderness  a  golden  calf 
of  their  old  fleshly  lusts,  of  unchaste  or  worldly 
thoughts,  to  live  after  the  flesh,  and  serve  their  own 
bellies  and  not  God,  but  have  their  dehght  in  the 
creature.  And  hence  we  have  need  of  the  true  Moses, 
even  Christ  Jesus,  that  He  may  at  all  times  guide  us 
and  lead  us,  and  draw  us  to  Himself,  so  that  we  may 
go  out  after  Him  into  the  wilderness  of  our  own 
hearts,  wherein  God  lies  hidden  to  us.  May  God 
help  us  all  to  attain  thereunto  !     Amen  ! 


IV 

Sermon    for   Christmas    Day 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

Of  the  things  by  which  we  become  children  of  God.* 

John   i.   12. — "But  as   many    as   received   Him,  to   them  gave  He 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God." 

THIS  day,  dear  children,  hath  God  wrought 
a  great  wonder,  and  manifested  the  greatness 
of  His  love  towards  us,  in  that  He  hath  looked 
down  upon  us,  who  were  His  enemies,  aliens  and 
afar  off  from  Him,  with  such  mercy  as  to  give 
us  power  to  become  His  sons  and  children  ;  there- 
fore it  behoves  us  not  to  show  ourselves  unthankful 
for  such  kindness,  but  to  put  on  the  true  marks  and 
qualities  of  the  elect,  beloved  children  of  God.  And 
hereby  we  may  know  what  these  are. 

He  who  would  be  a  son  of  our  Father  in  Heaven 
must  be  a  stranger  among  the  children  of  this  world, 
and  separate  himself  from  them,  and  must  have  an 
earnest  mind  and  a  single  eye,  with  a  heart  inclined 
towards  God.  Now  such  a  one  is  made  a  son  of  God 
when  he  is  bom  again  in  God,  and  this  takes  place 
with  every  fresh  revelation  of  God  to  his  soul.  A 
man  is  bom  of  the  Spirit  when  he  suffers  God's  work 

*  It  has  been  conjectured  that  this  sermon  is  by  Eckart,  junior  ;  but 
it  cannot  be  decidedly  ascertained  whether  it  is  by  him  or  Tauler. 


224  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

to  be  wrought  in  his  soul ;  yet  it  is  not  this  which 
makes  the  soul  to  be  perfectly  blessed,  but  that 
revelation,  of  which  we  have  spoken  already,  makes 
the  soul  to  follow  after  Him  who  has  revealed  Him- 
self to  her,  and  in  whom  she  is  bom  anew,  with  love 
and  praise.  Thus  she  returns  again  to  her  first 
source,  and  is  made,  of  God's  grace,  a  child  of  God, 
united  to  Him  in  rightful  love.  And  let  him  who 
would  attain  hereunto,  copy  Christ  in  his  human 
nature,  and  God  Himself  will  verily  come  unto  him 
in  His  superhuman  Godhead. 

The  beloved  children  of  God  renounce  themselves, 
and  hence  they  do  right  without  effort,  and  mount 
up  to  the  highest  point  of  goodness  ;  while  he  who 
will  not  let  go  of  himself,  but  does  right  by  labour 
and  toil,  will  never  reach  the  highest  that  he  might. 
In  other  words  :  he  whose  works  proceed  from 
himself,  does  little  good  service  to  God ;  while  he 
who  suffers  himself  to  be  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
does  great  works  even  in  small  actions.  But  he  who 
will  attain  to  this  must  beware  of  men,  so  far  as 
is  consistent  with  reason.  A  heathen  teacher  has 
declared  :  "I  never  mingled  with  men,  but  I  came 
home  less  of  a  man  than  I  went  out."  Men  who  live 
on  the  outside  of  things  are  a  great  hindrance  in 
the  way  of  goodness  by  their  many  idle  words. 
Therefore  those  who  wish  to  foster  the  inner  life  of 
their  souls,  are  in  great  danger  of  receiving  hurt 
from  things  which  are  said  without  thought,  especi- 
ally when  many  are  together.  He  who  repents 
what  he  has  said  as  soon  as  the  words  are  out  of  his 
mouth,  is  one  of  the  careless  speakers. 

He  only  is  a  good  son  who  has  cast  off  his  old  sins 
and  evil  habits  ;  for  without  this  it  is  impossible  that 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  225 

he  should  be  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  is  not 
until  the  thoughts  can  find  rest  in  nothing  but  God, 
that  the  man  is  drawn  close  to  God  Himself,  and 
becomes  His.  He  is  happy  who  is  always  in  the  full 
use  of  his  collective  powers  ;  and  this  is  the  case  when 
God  is  present  to  his  spirit,  and  he  gladly  obeys  all  the 
motions  of  God's  Spirit,  and  gives  his  whole  diligence 
to  act  and  live  agreeable  thereunto.  He  hath  a  right 
spirit  who  is  free  from  all  craving  after  temporal 
things,  and  like  a  good  son  is  united  by  love  to  his 
God,  without  any  earthly  desires. 

The  child  of  God  should  so  order  his  life  as  always 
to  promote  his  own  steadfastness  in  virtue.  When 
a  man  always  keeps  his  body  in  due  subjection,  it  is 
an  outward  pledge  of  the  strength  of  his  virtuous 
intents.  Then  is  God  in  the  man,  when  there  is 
nothing  in  him  which  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God. 
For  God  makes  a  man's  body  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  when  He  finds  nothing  in  the  man  which 
grieves  His  Spirit,  but  He  reigns  with  Jesus  Christ 
over  the  body.  That  is  to  say  :  when  a  man  knows 
of  nothing  in  himself  which  is  displeasing  to  God, 
then  God  dwells  in  him,  and  he  is  set  free  from  the 
things  that  perish.  He  who  most  hates  and  comes 
out  from  himself  has  the  greatest  share  in  God,  and 
possesses  his  earthly  heritage  in  peace. 

Master  Eckart  says :  "  That  which  kindles  the 
warmest  devotion  in  a  man's  heart,  and  knits  him 
most  closely  to  God,  is  the  greatest  benefit  he  can 
receive  in  this  present  time  ;  and  hence  the  greatest 
good  work  a  man  can  do,  is  to  draw  other  men  to 
God,  so  that  they  enter  into  a  union  with  Him. 
And  this  is  the  best  work  of  love  to  our  neighbour 
while  we  are  in  this  world." 


226  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Further :  it  is  a  mark  of  the  children  of  God 
that  they  see  their  own  httle  faults  and  shortcomings 
to  be  great  sins.  Now  he  who  entangles  himself 
with  a  multitude  of  matters,  outward  or  inward,  and 
will  meddle  with  every  thing  that  is  going  forward, 
will  also  have  a  share  in  the  evil  thereof.  We  must 
let  all  things  be  to  us  merely  the  supply  of  our  wants, 
and  possess  them  in  their  nothingness.  The  great 
work  and  aim  of  the  beloved  children  of  God  is  to 
shun  all  sin,  deadly  or  trifling,  that  they  may  not 
grieve  God's  spirit ;  for  they  know,  as  St.  Augustine 
says,  that  for  the  smallest  habitual  sin  which  is  not 
punished  and  laid  aside  in  this  present  life,  they  will 
have  to  suffer  more  than  all  the  pains  of  this  world. 
Hence  Anselm  says,  that  he  would  rather  die,  and 
that  this  world  should  be  destroyed,  than  commit 
one  sin  a  day  knowingly.  And  Augustine  says : 
**  The  soul  is  created  eternal,  and  therefore  she 
cannot  rest  but  in  God."  And  again :  "  He  who 
prays  for  anything  except  for  God's  sake,  does  not 
ask  aright,  and  will  not  be  answered  with  a  blessing." 

Again  :  the  child  of  God  must  have  exercise  in 
good  works  ;  but  when  he  comes  to  possess  the  very 
substance  of  virtue,  then  virtue  is  no  longer  an 
exercise  to  him  ;  for  he  practises  it  without  an  effort, 
and  when  virtue  is  practised  without  labour  or 
pain,  we  have  got  beyond  exercises.  But  none 
may  get  so  far  before  body  and  soul  are  separated 
from  each  other ;  unless,  indeed,  the  soul  were 
drawn  out  of  herself,  and  it  were  possible  in  this 
present  state  for  God  to  dwell  in  the  soul,  acting 
and  suffering.  Ah,  Lord,  did  we  all  we  should,  God 
would  do  to  us  aU  we  would.  If  any  wish  to  become 
such  that  God  can  love  him,  and  look  upon  him  with 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  227 

complacency,  let  him  forsake  all  that  he  loves  in 
the  world,  and  love  nothing  but  God  alone.  He  who 
desires  to  receive  with  the  Son  of  God  a  man's 
reward,  must  suffer  from  and  with  the  wicked  of  this 
world  ;  and  if  he  hunger  after  his  salvation  as  one 
who  is  perishing  for  lack  of  food,  it  will  avail  him 
nothing,  until  he  cast  off  sin  and  work  the  works  of 
righteousness  which  are  befitting  [a  child  of  grace], 
and  endure  all  wrong  and  injustice  patiently  for 
God's  sake.  For  without  this,  his  hunger  and  thirst 
after  salvation  can  neither  be  satisfied  here  nor 
hereafter.  For  it  is  of  the  very  essence  of  salvation 
to  love  God,  to  depart  from  sin,  and  to  work  right- 
eousness ;  not  to  be  able  to  find  happiness  in  all  the 
pleasures  of  earth,  but  to  be  willing  to  suffer  willingly 
all  manner  of  pain  and  contradiction,  and  not 
seek  to  avoid  them  :  when  a  man  has  come  to  this 
state  all  is  well  with  him,  and  not  otherwise.  And 
whatever  such  a  child  of  God  beholds,  it  works  for 
his  good.  If  he  sees  sin,  he  thanks  God  for  having 
kept  him  from  it,  and  prays  for  the  conversion  of  the 
sinners  ;  if  he  sees  goodness,  he  desires  to  fulfil  it  in 
his  own  practice.  We  ought  always  to  keep  two  ends 
in  view, — to  put  away  from  us  all  that  is  hurtful,  and 
to  put  on  all  that  is  yet  lacking  to  us  of  good  works. 
But  those  who  vainly  think  to  be  made  God's 
children  by  their  much  watching,  and  fasting,  and 
labour,  by  keeping  silence,  by  singing  hymns,  by 
wearing  bad  and  inconvenient  clothing,  or  again 
by  great  deeds  and  pious  works,  while  they  do  not 
dive  into  the  bottom  of  their  hearts,  and  spy  out  all 
their  secret  inchnations,  to  lesser  as  well  as  to  greater 
faults ;  such  as  an  inclination  to  think  too  well  of 
themselves  and  too  ill  of  their  neighbours,  or  to 


228  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

harshness,  to  trespass  on  the  rights  of  others,  to 
moroseness,  to  a  bitter  spirit,  to  contradiction,  to 
obstinacy,  to  caprice,  and  the  hke,  and  do  not  perceive 
these  things  in  themselves,  nor  wish  to  learn  how  to 
get  rid  of  their  old  bad  dispositions  nor  yet  of  their 
outward  bad  habits,  such  as  evil  speaking,  light- 
ness of  manners,  unkind  ridicule  of  others,  and  refuse 
to  give  ear  to  those  who  teach  and  exhort  them  to 
what  is  right,  or  to  probe  their  own  motives  ; — these 
are  all  the  children  of  the  Devil.  Alas  !  how  many 
are  martyrs  for  the  Devil !  To  such  as  these  Isaiah 
says  :  "  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations  :  cease  to  do 
evil ;  learn  to  do  well ;  wash  you,  make  you  clean." 
Yea,  if  a  man  were  to  suffer  himself  to  be  torn 
to  pieces,  and  did  not  learn  to  cleanse  himself 
thoroughly  from  his  sins,  to  behave  towards  his 
fellow-creatures  in  a  spirit  of  generous  love,  and 
to  love  God  above  all  things,  it  would  all  be  useless 
and  in  vain. 

Dionysius  says :  "  To  be  converted  to  the  truth 
means  nothing  else  but  a  turning  from  the  love  of 
created  things,  and  a  coming  into  union  with  the 
uncreated  Highest  Good.  And  in  one  who  is  thus 
converted  there  is  a  joy  beyond  conception,  and  his 
understanding  is  unclouded  and  unperverted  by 
the  love  of  earthly  things,  and  is  mirrored  in  his 
conscience,  in  the  mirror  of  God's  mind.  Love  is 
the  noblest  of  all  virtues,  for  it  makes  man  divine, 
and  makes  God  man."  And  again  :  "  Cleanse  your 
hearts  and  make  yourselves  at  one  with  God,  for 
one  glimpse  of  Him  brings  the  soul  closer  to  Him 
than  all  the  outward  works  of  all  Christendom. 
He  who  wishes  to  attain  to  this  union  must  get 
beyond  all  that  may  be  conquered  and  grasped  by 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  229 

the  understanding,  for  God  hath  nothing  so  hidden 
that  it  cannot  be  revealed  unto  the  soul.  O  that 
she  were  but  wise  enough  to  seek  after  it  with  all 
earnestness  !  " 

A  certain  teacher  has  said,  that  if  a  man  will  give 
his  heart  and  life  to  God,  God  will  give  him  in  return 
greater  gifts  than  if  he  were  to  suffer  death  over  again 
for  him. 

Now  that  man  shall  attain  unto  the  Highest  Good 
who  is  ready  to  descend  into  the  lowest  depths  of 
poverty.  And  this  comes  to  pass  when  he  is  cast  into 
utter  wretchedness,  and  forsaken  of  all  creatures  and 
all  comfort.  And  let  him  ask  help  of  none  ;  let  him 
be  as  knowing  nothing,  and  as  though  he  had  never 
been  aught  but  a  fool ;  let  him  have  none  to  take 
compassion  on  him,  even  so  much  as  to  give  him  a 
cup  of  cold  water  to  drink  ;  yet  let  him  never  forget 
God  in  his  heart,  and  never  shrink  from  God's 
searching  eye  of  judgment,  though  he  knows  not 
what  its  verdict  will  be  ;  but  with  a  cheerful  and 
thankful  spirit  yield  himself  up  to  suffer  whatever 
God  shall  appoint  unto  him,  and  to  fulfil  according 
to  his  power,  by  the  grace  of  God,  all  His  holy  will 
to  the  utmost  that  he  can  discern  it,  and  never 
complain  of  his  distresses  but  to  God  alone  with 
entire  and  humble  resignation,  praying  that  he  may 
be  strong  to  endure  all  his  sufferings  according  to 
the  will  of  God  : — Ah,  dear  children,  what  glorious 
sons  of  God  would  such  men  be  !  what  wonders 
would  God  work  through  them  to  the  magnif3dng 
of  His  glory  !  These  are  the  true  and  righteous 
men  who  trust  in  God,  and  cleave  to  Him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth  !  That  we  may  thus  become  His  sons, 
may  God  help  us  by  His  grace  !     Amen. 


V 

Sermon  for  Epiphany 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

This  Sermon  on  the  Gospel  for  the  day,  from  St. 
Matthew,  showeth  how  God,  of  His  great  faithful- 
ness hath  foreseen  and  ordained  all  sufferings  for 
the  eternal  good  of  each  man,  in  whatever  wise 
they  befall  us,  and  whether  they  he  great  or  small. 

Matt.   ii.    ll. — "And  they  presented  unto  him  gifts:  gold,  and 
frankincense  and  myrrh." 

NOW  consider  first  the  myrrh.  It  is  bitter ; 
and  this  is  a  type  of  the  bitterness  which 
must  be  tasted  before  a  man  can  find  God,  when 
he  first  turns  from  the  world  to  God,  and  all 
his  likings  and  desires  have  to  be  utterly  changed. 
For  it  is  necessary  that  all  which  a  man  has  hitherto 
taken  pleasure  in  possessing  should  be  given  up, 
and  this  is  at  first  very  bitter  and  very  hard  work 
to  him.  AU  things  must  become  as  bitter  to  thee 
as  their  enjoyment  was  sweet  unto  thee.  But  to 
this  work  thou  hast  need  of  a  full  purpose  of  heart 
and  never  -  failing  diligence.  For  the  greater  thy 
delight  in  anythng  has  been,  the  more  bitter  will  it 
be  to  give  it  up,  yea  the  very  gall  of  bitterness. 

Now,  it  may  be  asked,  "  How  can  a  man  be  with- 
out appetites  and  enjoyment  so  long  as  he  is  in  this 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  231 

present  state  ?  I  am  hungry,  and  I  eat ;  I  am 
thirsty,  I  drink  ;  I  am  weary,  I  sleep  ;  I  am  cold,  I 
warm  myself  ;  and  I  cannot  possibly  find  that  to  be 
bitter  nor  barren  of  natural  enjoyment  which  is  the 
satisfaction  of  my  natural  desires.  This  I  cannot 
alter,  so  long  as  nature  is  nature."  True  :  but  this 
pleasure,  ease,  satisfaction,  enjoyment,  or  delight, 
must  not  penetrate  into  the  depths  of  thy  heart,  nor 
make  up  a  portion  of  thy  inner  life.  It  must  pass 
away  with  the  things  that  caused  it,  and  have  no 
abiding  place  in  thee.  We  must  not  set  our  affec- 
tions thereon,  but  allow  it  to  come  and  go,  and  not 
repose  upon  the  sense  of  possession  with  content 
or  delight  in  the  world  or  the  creature.  We  must 
mortify  and  subdue  nature  with  nature,  and  the 
love  thereof  within  us,  yea,  even  the  delight  that 
we  have  in  the  children  of  God  and  good  men. 
These  and  all  other  inclinations  must  be  brought 
under  dominion  to  a  higher  power ;  for  till  this  is 
accomphshed,  Herod  and  his  servants,  which  seek 
after  the  young  child's  hfe,  are  not  altogether  and 
of  a  surety  dead  within  thee.  Therefore  beware  that 
thou  do  not  deceive  thyself,  but  look  narrowly  to  it, 
how  it  stands  with  thee,  and  do  not  be  too  secure, 
nor  Hve  without  fear. 

But  there  is  yet  another  mjmrh,  which  far  sur- 
passes the  first.  This  is  the  myrrh  which  God 
gives  us  in  the  cup  of  trouble  and  sorrow,  of  what- 
ever kind  it  may  be,  outward  or  inward.  Ah, 
if  thou  couldst  but  receive  this  myrrh  as  from  its 
true  source,  and  drink  it  with  the  same  love  with 
which  God  puts  it  to  thy  lips,  what  blessedness 
would  it  work  in  thee !  Ah,  what  a  joy  and  peace 
and  an  excellent  thing  were  that !     Yes,  the  very 


232  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

least  and  the  very  greatest  sorrows  that  God  ever 
suffers  to  befall  thee,  proceed  from  the  depths  of 
His  unspeakable  love ;  and  such  great  love  were 
better  for  thee  than  the  highest  and  best  gifts  besides 
that  He  has  given  thee  or  ever  could  give  thee,  if 
thou  couldst  but  see  it  in  this  light ;  yea,  however 
small  a  suffering  light  on  thee,  God — ^who,  as  our 
Lord  says,  counts  the  smallest  hair  that  ever  fell 
from  thy  head,  without  thy  knowing  it — God  has 
foreseen  it  from  eternity,  and  chosen,  and  purposed, 
and  appointed  that  it  should  befall  thee.  So  that 
if  your  little  finger  only  aches,  if  you  are  cold,  if 
you  are  hungry  or  thirsty,  if  others  vex  you  by  their 
words  or  deeds,  or  whatever  happens  to  you  that 
causes  you  distress  or  pain,  it  will  all  help  to  fit  you 
for  a  noble  and  blessed  state  ;  and  it  has  been  fore- 
seen and  fore  -  appointed  by  God  that  such  and 
such  things  should  happen  and  come  upon  you ; 
for  all  is  measured,  weighed,  and  numbered,  and 
cannot  be  less  nor  otherwise  than  it  is.  That  my 
eyes  are  now  in  my  head,  is  as  God  our  Heavenly 
Father  has  seen  it  from  eternity ;  now  let  them 
be  put  out,  and  let  me  become  blind,  or  deaf,  this 
also  has  our  Heavenly  Father  foreseen  from  eternity, 
that  it  ought  to  come  to  pass,  and  had  His  eternal 
counsel  with  respect  unto  it,  and  determined  it  from 
eternity  within  Himself.  Ought  I  not,  then,  to 
open  my  inward  eyes  and  ears,  and  thank  my  God 
that  His  eternal  counsel  is  fulfilled  in  me  ?  Ought 
I  to  grieve  at  it  ?  I  ought  to  be  wonderfully 
thankful  for  it !  And  so  also  with  loss  of  friends, 
or  property,  or  reputation,  or  comfort,  or  whatever 
it  be  that  God  allots  to  us,  it  will  all  serve  to  prepare 
thee,  and  help  thee  forward  to  true  peace,  if  thou 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  233 

canst  only  take  it  so.  Now,  sometimes  people 
have  said  to  me  :  "  Master,  it  is  ill  with  me  :  I  have 
much  suffering  and  tribulation  "  ;  and  when  I  have 
answered :  "  It  is  all  as  it  should  be,"  they  have 
said,  "  No,  Master,  I  have  deserved  it ;  I  have 
cherished  an  evil  thing  in  my  heart."  Then  take 
blame  to  thyself ;  but  whether  thy  pain  be  deserved 
or  not,  believe  that  it  comes  from  God,  and  thank 
Him,  and  bear  it,  and  resign  thyself  to  it. 

All  the  mjn-rhs  of  bitterness  that  God  gives,  are 
ordered  aright,  that  He  may  by  this  means  raise  men 
to  true  greatness.  It  is  for  the  wholesome  exercise 
of  suffering  that  He  has  set  the  forces  of  nature  as 
it  were  at  war  with  man.  He  could  just  as  well 
and  as  easily  have  caused  bread  to  grow  as  com,  but 
that  it  is  necessary  for  man  to  have  his  powers 
exercised  in  every  way.  And  He  has  bestowed  as 
much  care  and  thought  in  the  arrangement  of  each 
single  thing,  as  the  artist  does  when  he  is  painting 
a  picture,  who  never  draws  a  single  stroke  with 
his  pencil  without  considering  how  long,  how  short, 
and  how  broad  it  ought  to  be  ;  and  it  must  be  so 
and  no  otherwise,  if  the  picture  is  to  be  a  perfect 
masterpiece,  and  all  its  bright  red  and  blue  colours 
are  to  come  out.  But  God  takes  a  thousand  times 
more  pains  with  us  than  the  artist  with  his  picture, 
by  many  touches  of  sorrow,  and  by  many  colours 
of  circumstance,  to  bring  man  into  the  form  which 
is  the  highest  and  noblest  in  His  sight,  if  only  we 
received  His  gifts  and  myrrh  in  the  right  spirit. 

There  are  some,  however,  who  are  not  content  with 
the  myrrh  that  God  gives  them,  but  think  fit  to  give 
themselves  some,  and  create  evils  for  themselves  and 
sick  fancies,  and  have  indeed  suffered  long  and  much, 


234  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

for  they  take  hold  of  all  things  by  the  wrong  end. 
And  they  gain  little  grace  from  all  their  pain,  because 
they  are  building  upon  stones  of  their  own  laying, 
whether  it  be  penances  or  abstinence,  or  prayer  or 
meditation.  According  to  them,  God  must  wait 
their  leisure,  and  let  them  do  their  part  first,  else  no 
good  will  come  of  the  work.  God  hath  fixed  it  in 
His  purpose  that  He  will  reward  nothing  but  His 
own  works.  In  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  He  will 
crown  nothing  to  all  eternity  but  His  works,  and  not 
thine.  What  He  has  not  wrought  in  thee,  He  takes 
no  account  of. 

In  the  third  place,  there  is  an  exceeding  bitter 
myrrh  which  God  gives  ;  namely,  inward  assaults 
and  inward  darkness.  When  a  man  is  wiUing  to 
taste  this  myrrh,  and  does  not  put  it  from  him,  it 
wears  down  flesh  and  blood,  yea,  the  whole  nature  ; 
for  these  inward  exercises  make  the  cheek  grow  pale 
far  sooner  than  great  outward  hardships,  for  God 
appoints  unto  his  servants  cruel  fightings  and  strange 
dread,  and  unheard  of  distresses,  which  none  can 
understand  but  he  who  has  felt  them.  And  these 
men  are  beset  with  such  a  variety  of  difficulties,  so 
many  cups  of  bitterness  are  presented  to  them,  that 
they  hardly  know  which  way  to  turn,  or  what  they 
ought  to  do  ;  but  God  knows  right  well  what  He  is 
about.  But  when  the  cup  is  put  away,  and  these 
feelings  are  stifled  or  unheeded,  a  greater  injury  is 
done  to  the  soul  than  can  ever  be  amended.  For 
no  heart  can  conceive  in  what  surpassing  love  God 
giveth  us  this  myrrh  ;  yet  this  which  we  ought  to 
receive  to  our  soul's  good,  we  suffer  to  pass  by  us 
in  our  sleepy  indifference,  and  nothing  comes  of  it. 
Then  we  come  and  complain  :  "  Alas,  Lord !  I  am  so 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  235 

dry,  and  it  is  so  dark  within  me  !  "  I  tell  you,  dear 
child,  open  thy  heart  to  the  pain,  and  it  will  do  thee 
more  good  than  if  thou  wert  full  of  feehng  and 
devoutness. 

Now  men  receive  this  bitter  myrrh  in  two  ways ; 
they  try  to  meet  it  as  with  their  practical  sense  or 
with  their  intellectual  subtilty.  When  it  springs 
from  outward  circumstances,  men  wish  they  had 
known  better,  and  they  would  have  averted  it  with 
their  wisdom,  and  attribute  it  to  outward  accidents, 
to  fate,  or  misfortune,  and  think  they  might  have 
taken  steps  to  prevent  what  has  happened,  and  if 
they  had  done  so,  the  means  would  have  succeeded, 
and  the  calamity  would  have  been  turned  aside. 
They  would  fain  be  too  wise  for  God,  and  teach  Him, 
and  master  Him,  and  cannot  take  things  from  His 
hand.  The  sufferings  of  such  are  very  sore,  and  their 
myrrh  is  exceeding  bitter. 

There  are  others,  who  having  tasted  the  cup  of 
that  bitterness  which  springs  from  within,  do  start 
back  and  forthwith  seek  to  break  away  from  it  by  the 
exercise  of  their  natural  wit  and  subtilty,  and  think 
to  quell  the  strife  by  dint  of  reasoning  and  arguing 
with  themselves.  And  this  kind  of  trouble  often 
passes  away  more  quickly  with  simple  minds  than 
with  those  whose  reason  is  more  active ;  for  the 
former  follow  God  more  simply,  they  feel  they  do 
not  know  what  to  do,  and  so  they  trust.  But  if  those 
of  higher  powers  follow  God's  leading,  and  surrender 
themselves  wholly  to  Him,  their  career  is  far  nobler 
and  more  blessed,  for  their  reason  serves  them  in  all 
things  more  freely  and  excellently. 

Now  from  this  myrrh  springs  a  noble  branch,  which 
beareth  costly  frankincense.    The  frankincense  gum 


236  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

sends  forth  a  sweet-smelling  smoke ;  so  when  the  fire 
catches  the  rod,  it  curls  round  it  and  seeks  to  set  loose 
the  perfume  that  is  contained  therein,  that  it  may  go 
forth  and  spread  a  fragrant  incense  around.  The 
fire  is  nothing  else  than  burning  love  to  God,  which 
is  as  it  were  latent  in  prayer  ;  and  love  is  the  frank- 
incense which  sends  forth  the  true  fragrance  of  holy 
devotion.  For,  as  a  writer  has  said  :  "  Prayer  is 
nothing  but  the  going  up  of  the  spirit  unto  God." 
And  just  as  the  straw  exists  for  the  sake  of  the  corn, 
and  is  good  for  nothing  in  itself  but  to  make  a  bed 
whereon  to  He,  or  to  manure  the  earth,  so  outward 
prayer  is  of  no  profit  except  in  so  far  as  it  stirs  up  the 
noble  flame  of  devotion  in  the  heart,  and  when  that 
sweet  incense  breaks  forth  and  rises  up,  then  it  matters 
little  whether  the  prayer  of  the  lips  be  uttered  or  not. 
In  sajring  this,  I  except  those  persons  who  are  bound 
by  the  ordinances  of  the  Holy  Church  to  offer  up 
prayers,  and  those  who  have  vowed  to  perform  acts 
of  devotion,  or  have  been  advised  thereunto  by  their 
spiritual  directors. 

May  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  Glory,  help  us  to 
make  the  right  use  of  all  the  myrrh  that  God  sends 
us,  and  to  ofier  up  to  Him  the  true  incense  of  devout 
hearts.    Amen !  * 

*  In  the  later  editions  here  follows  an  exposition  ot  the  gold,  but  it 
is  wanting  in  the  four  earliest  editions  and  the  best  MSS. 


VI 

Second  Sermon  for  Epiphany 

Showeth  on  what  wise  a  man  shall  arise  from  himself 
and  from  all  creatures,  to  the  end  that  God  may 
find  the  ground  of  his  soul  prepared,  and  may 
begin  and  perfect  his  work  therein. 

Isaiah  Ix.  i. — "Arise,  O  Jerusalem,  and  be  enlightened."  * 

IN  all  this  world  God  covets  and  requires  but 
one  thing  only,  and  that  He  desires  so  ex- 
ceeding greatly  that  He  gives  His  whole  might  and 
energy  thereto.  This  one  thing  is,  that  He  may 
find  that  good  ground  which  He  has  laid  in  the  noble 
mind  of  man  made  fit  and  ready  for  Him  to  exercise 
His  divine  agency  thereon.  For  God  has  all  power 
in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  the  only  thing  that  is 
lacking  unto  Him  is  that  He  is  hindered  from  accom- 
plishing the  most  glorious  of  all  His  works  in  man. 
Now  what  must  we  do  that  God  may  shine  in  on 
this  innermost  ground  of  the  soul,  and  work  there  ? 
We  must  arise,  says  our  text.  Arise  !  this  sounds  as 
if  we  could  do  something  towards  this  work.  We 
must  arise  from  all  that  is  not  God,  from  ourselves 


•  According  to  our  authorized  version  :  "Arise,  shine  ;  tor  thy  light 
is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee."  The  German 
version  of  the  text  has  been  retained,  because  the  argument  of  the 
Sermon  is  based  upon  it. 


238  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  from  all  creatures.  And  by  this  act  of  arising, 
the  ground  of  the  soul  is  stirred,  and  a  strong  craving 
springs  up  in  it ;  and  the  more  this  deepest  ground 
of  the  soul  is  laid  bare,  and  all  that  occupied  and 
cumbered  it  is  cleared  away,  the  keener  grows  this 
craving  after  something  higher  than  itself,  so  that 
ofttimes  with  God's  lightest  touch  upon  the  naked 
soul,  the  longing  pierces  through  flesh  and  blood 
and  marrow. 

But  there  are  two  sorts  of  over-bold  men  who  are 
driven  by  this  stirring  up  of  their  souls  into  two  rash 
courses.  The  first  come  with  their  natural  quick- 
ness of  parts,  and  with  the  conceptions  of  their  own 
minds,  and  try  therewith  to  touch  the  principle  of 
their  souls,  and  seek  to  still  the  craving  within  them 
by  hearing  and  learning  of  lofty  matters.  And  in 
this  they  find  great  dehght,  and  ween  that  they  are 
a  Jerusalem, —  a  city  of  peace,  by  the  exercise  of 
their  intellect.  There  is  another  class  who  think 
to  prepare  the  ground  of  their  souls  for  God  and  to 
obtain  peace  by  means  of  self-chosen  good  works, 
or  by  rehgious  exercises,  such  as  prayer,  meditation, 
or  whatever  they  see  other  people  do  for  the  same 
end  ;  and  then  they  fancy  they  are  verily  children 
of  Zion,  and  their  works  of  piety  and  charity  do 
yield  them  great  peace,  and  they  dehght  in  nothing 
so  much  as  in  religious  exercises  and  the  fulfilling  of 
the  tasks  they  have  set  themselves.  But  that  their 
peace  is  a  false  one,  may  be  perceived  by  this,  that 
they  do  not  cure  themselves  of  their  former  faults, 
such  as  pride,  sensuahty,  self-indulgence,  love  of  the 
creature,  proneness  to  suspect  or  to  judge  others  ; 
and  if  any  offend  them,  resentment  forthwith  flames 
up  within  them,  and  an  angry  word  escapes  them,  or 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  239 

hatred  smoulders  in  their  heart ;  and  such  like 
faults  they  indulge  in  with  their  own  consent.  By 
this  we  may  know  that  they  wish  to  manage  their 
souls  after  their  own  fashion,  and  work  in  them ; 
while  God  cannot  accomplish  His  work  in  such  a  foul 
and  unswept  chamber.  Therefore,  their  peace  is  false, 
and  they  have  not  yet  arisen  in  truth.  Let  not  such 
claim  to  be  children  of  Zion,  nor  dare  to  think  they 
have  found  true  peace  ;  but  let  them  seriously  set 
themselves  to  work  to  conquer  their  faults,  exercising 
themselves,  after  the  pattern  of  our  Lord,  in  humility 
and  works  of  love,  dying  unto  themselves  in  all  things, 
and  thus  learn  how  to  rise  on  high. 

But  those  others,  that  is  to  say  those  noble  men 
who  do  truly  arise  and  receive  divine  light,  these 
allow  God  to  prepare  their  souls  for  Himself,  and 
renounce  themselves  in  all  things  without  any  re- 
serve, either  as  regards  their  words  or  their  daily 
habits,  or  what  they  do  or  refrain  from,  or  anything 
else,  whether  things  go  smoothly  or  crossly  with 
them.  Both  in  framing  their  purposes,  and  in  meet- 
ing what  arises,  they  refer  all  to  God  in  humble 
fear,  and  give  themselves  wholly  up  to  Him,  in  utter 
poorness  of  spirit,  in  willing  self -surrender,  acquies- 
cing in  the  divine  will.  They  are  content  to  say  in 
all  matters,  "  As  God  will  "  :  in  quiet  or  in  disquiet ; 
for  their  sole  delight  is  the  holy  and  excellent  will 
of  God.  To  these  we  may  apply  what  Christ  said 
imto  His  disciples  when  they  bade  Him  to  go  up  unto 
the  feast :  "  Go  ye  up  ;  your  time  is  alway  ready, 
but  my  time  is  not  yet  come."  These  men's  time 
is  alway  ready  for  them  to  endure  and  submit ;  all 
time  is  fitting  for  them  ;  but  God's  time  is  not 
alway  ready,  when  He  deigns  or  äees  fit  to  work,  or 


240  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

to  send  forth  His  light.  This  they  submissively 
leave  to  His  divine  will,  and  are  willing  to  wait  as 
long  as  He  pleases. 

Now  the  distinguishing  mark  of  this  better  sort  of 
men  is  that  they  suffer  God  to  order  their  souls' 
affairs,  and  do  not  hinder  Him.  Yet  they  are  not 
raised  above  the  shocks  of  temptation,  nor  even  the 
liability  to  fall  for  a  moment  (for  no  one  is  entirely 
delivered  from  this  danger) ;  but  afterwards,  as 
soon  as  the  first  onset  of  passion  is  over,  and  their 
fault  is  held  up  before  them,  whether  it  be  pride, 
or  self-indulgence,  or  anger,  or  hatred,  or  whatever 
is  their  special  temptation,  they  come  to  God  in 
self-abasement,  and  submit  themselves  to  Him,  and 
bear  without  murmuring  what  He  sees  fit  to  appoint 
unto  them.  And  such  do  in  truth  arise,  for  they  rise 
above  themselves  in  all  things,  and  they  do  become 
in  truth  a  Jerusalem  or  stronghold  of  peace,  for  they 
have  quiet  in  disquietude  and  prosperity  in  adversity, 
and  rejoice  in  the  will  of  God  amidst  all  circum- 
stances. Therefore  no  power  in  this  world  can  take 
away  their  peace,  nor  could  all  the  devils  in  hell,  nor 
all  the  men  on  earth  banded  together.  All  their 
affections  centre  in  God,  and  they  are  enUghtened 
by  Him  of  a  truth  ;  for  He  shines  into  their  souls 
with  a  strong  and  clear  light  that  reveals  all  things 
unto  them  ;  and  He  shineth  as  truly,  nay  far  more 
brightly,  in  the  blackest  darkness  than  in  the  seem- 
ing light.  Ah  !  these  are  sweet  and  lovely  children 
of  God,  raised  above  nature  by  their  likeness  to  Him  ; 
and  such  neither  undertake  nor  bring  to  pass  any 
of  their  works  without  God.  Nay,  if  we  may  dare 
to  use  such  language,  they  are,  so  to  speak,  nothing, 
but  God  is  in  them  ;  as  St.  Paul  says  ;  "  I  live,  yet 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  241 

not  I  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  Ah  !  these  axe 
highly-favoured  men  ;  they  bear  the  worid  upon 
their  shoulders  and  are  the  noble  pillars  of  society. 
To  make  one  of  their  number,  what  a  blessed  and 
glorious  thing  were  that ! 

Now,  the  distinguishing  mark  of  those  two  classes 
of  presumptuous  men  whom  we  first  spoke  of,  is  that 
they  choose  to  govern  their  souls  for  themselves,  in- 
stead of  submitting  themselves  to  the  direction  of 
God  ;  and  hence  their  powers  are  kept  under  bondage 
to  sin,  so  that  they  cannot  fully  conquer  their  evil 
habits  ;  nay,  they  even  continue  therein  with  con- 
tent, or  at  least  with  the  consent  of  their  own  will. 
But  those  other  noble,  blessed,  self-renouncing  men, 
who  have  given  themselves  over  to  God,  are  exalted 
above  themselves ;  and  hence,  if  they  are  overtaken  in 
a  fault,  so  soon  as  they  are  aware  of  it,  they  flee  unto 
God  with  it,  and  straightway  the  sin  is  no  more,  and 
they  are  in  a  state  of  godlike  freedom.  Shall  they  not 
then  with  reason  desire  that  God  may  prepare  their 
souls? 

There  is  no  need  for  these  men  to  perform  outward 
works,  in  addition,  as  if  they  were  a  matter  of  necessity. 
No!  Nowthetext  itself,  in  this  one  word,  "Arise!"  bids 
them  to  hft  themselves  up  :  and  is  not  that  a  work  ? 
Yes,  one  work  it  does  behove  them  to  fulfil  without 
ceasing,  if  they  are  ever  to  come  to  perfectness.  They 
must  continually  arise,  and  have  their  minds  directed 
upwards  towards  God,  and  their  hearts  free  from  en- 
tanglement, ever  asking,  "  Where  is  He  who  is  bom  a 
king  ?  "  and  watching  with  humble  fear  and  quick  eye 
to  discern  what  God  desires  of  them,  that  they  may  do 
His  pleasure.  If  God  gives  them  to  suffer,  they  suffer ; 
if  He  gives  them  to  work,  they  work ;  if  He  gives 

Q 


242  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

them  to  enjoy  Him  in  contemplation,  they  contem- 
plate. The  ground  of  their  own  souls  bears  witness 
that  God  has  cleansed  them  and  created  them  anew. 

And  this  ground  and  substance  of  the  soul  will 
God  possess  alone,  and  will  not  that  any  creature 
should  enter  therein.  In  this  chamber  of  the  heart 
God  works  through  means  in  the  one  class  of  men, 
and  without  means  in  the  other  and  more  blessed 
sort.  But  what  he  works  in  the  souls  of  these  last 
with  whom  He  holds  direct  converse,  none  can  say, 
nor  can  one  man  give  account  of  it  to  another,  but 
he  only  who  has  felt  it  knows  what  it  is  ;  and  even 
he  can  tell  thee  nothing  of  it,  save  only  that  God  in 
very  truth  hath  possessed  the  ground  of  his  soul. 
And  where  this  comes  to  pass,  outward  works  become 
of  no  moment,  but  the  inward  perceiving  of  God 
greatly  increases.  But  when  a  man  reaches  the 
highest  point  that  he  may  attain  unto  by  his  most 
earnest  endeavour  and  the  help  of  God's  grace,  let 
him  ascribe  nothing  whatever  unto  himself  ;  as  our 
blessed  Lord  said  :  "  When  ye  have  done  all  those 
things  which  are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are 
unprofitable  servants  :  we  have  done  that  which 
it  was  our  duty  to  do."  Therefore,  let  a  man  be 
never  so  perfect,  he  shall  always  stand  in  humble 
fear,  at  his  highest  glory  ;  and  shall  always  say  and 
feel,  "  Father,  thy  will  be  done  !  "  and  shall  at  all 
times  keep  a  watch  upon  himself,  looking  narrowly 
lest  he  should  cleave  unto  one  single  thing  that  is 
amiss,  and  God  should  find  anything  in  the  secret 
chambers  of  his  heart  that  hinders  His  accomplishing 
His  glorious  work  therein  without  the  help  of  means. 

May  God  help  us  all  so  to  arise  that  He  may 
accomplish  His  work  in  our  souls  !     Amen. 


VII 

Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday 
after  Epiphany 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day  ;  and  from  Hosea  xiv.  i.  2.) 

Of  the  great  wonders  which  God  has  wrought,  and  still 
works  for  us  Christian  men  ;  wherefore  it  is  just 
and  reasonable  that  we  should  turn  unto  Him  and 
follow  Him,  and  whereby  we  may  discern  between 
true  and  false  conversion. 

Matt.  viii.  23. — "Jesus  went  into  a  ship,  and  His  disciples  followed 
Him."  And  Hosea  xiv.  i,  2. — "O  Israel,  return  unto  the  Lord  thy 
God  ;  take  with  you  words,  and  turn  to  the  Lord." 

WE  read  in  the  Gospel  for  this  day  that  Jesus 
went  into  a  ship,  and  His  disciples  followed 
Him.  In  like  manner  must  all  pious  Christians 
turn  from  sin  and  follow  Christ,  as  He  commands 
us  by  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Hosea,  saying: 
"  O  Israel,  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God." 

Out  of  all  the  tribes  of  mankind  the  Lord  chose 
one,  to  whom  He  showed  great  kindness,  and  pro- 
mised to  do  yet  greater  things  for  them,  if  they 
would  turn  with  their  whole  heart  unto  Him,  and  not 
follow  after  the  ways  of  the  other  nations  who  lived 
according  to  their  sinful  lusts  in  the  darkness  and 
blindness  of  their  hearts,  and  went  astray  with 


244  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

wicked  lives  and  perverse  minds  after  the  vanities 
of  the  world  and  the  deceits  of  the  Devil.  And 
to  this  end,  God  led  His  people  out  bodily  by  the 
hand  of  His  servants  and  prophets,  and  also  gave 
them  His  law  to  teach  them,  that  they  might  behold 
His  great  power  which  he  had  glorified  against  their 
enemies,  and  His  great  love  which  He  had  mani- 
fested by  numberless  acts  and  unspeakable  benefits 
towards  themselves,  being  minded  to  do  yet  greater 
things  for  them  hereafter,  if  they  would  truly  turn 
to  Him  with  their  whole  heart,  and  love  Him, 
and  keep  His  commandments.  And  he  commanded 
them  that  they  should  never  forget  the  day  on 
which  they  had  been  delivered  out  of  the  hands  of 
their  enemies,  and  from  their  cruel  bondage  and 
toil,  but  should  set  themselves  with  earnestness 
and  diligence  to  consider  His  commandments,  to 
keep  them  and  do  them.  But  this  people  was  stiff- 
necked,  heedless,  and  unthankful,  and  did  not  do 
as  God  had  commanded  by  the  mouth  of  His 
servants,  but  was  continually  self-willed,  perverse, 
and  bent  on  sin  ;  and  therefore  the  Lord  suffered 
them  all  to  die  in  the  wilderness,  and  slew  many 
of  them.  And  afterwards  He  sent  again  other 
servants  unto  them,  saying :  "  O  my  chosen  people, 
if  ye  will  be  converted  and  turn  unto  me  with  your 
whole  heart,  and  not  go  astray  halting  between  two 
opinions,  but  follow  after  me  only,  and  forsake  the 
way  of  the  Egyptians,  the  way  of  darkness,  of  sin, 
and  of  death,  I  wiU  bring  you  into  a  land  of  right- 
eousness, where  all  good  things  shall  be  given 
you." 

Now  all  these  things  came  to  pass  under  the  old 
dispensation  in  past  ages,  with  many  signs  and  in 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  245 

hidden  mysterious  covenants  sealed  by  oaths.  But 
they  also  foreshadowed  all  that  should  come  to  pass 
in  future  ages  after  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God, 
in  the  which  we  now  live.  Now  He  purposes  to 
draw  us  likewise  to  Himself,  by  the  help  of  these 
same  words  and  teachings,  if  only  we  will  turn  unto 
Him ;  and  therefore  does  He  give  us  so  many  reasons, 
exhortations,  instructions  or  motives,  that  we  should 
turn  unto  Him  with  our  whole  hearts.  He  works 
now  -  a  -  days  quite  as  many  miracles  and  mighty 
deeds  as  then,  among  the  Egyptians  of  this  world 
and  Pharaoh  its  king,  spiritually  and  also  visibly, 
in  the  conversion  of  each  one  among  us,  if  we  give 
heed  thereto  with  thankful  hearts.  But  alas  !  it  is 
with  too  many  of  us  as  it  was  with  the  Israelites,  we 
are  only  changed  outwardly  with  the  body,  but  our 
heart  is  yet  in  Egypt.  We  all  pass  under  good  names, 
and  make  a  fair  show,  but  in  reality  our  whole 
affections  and  endeavours  are  turned  towards  the 
pleasures  and  advantages  of  the  flesh  and  the  world. 
And  we  are  all  the  time  so  very  careful  and  diligent 
to  keep  strictly  to  all  that  is  commanded  respecting 
outward  observances,  such  as  vestments,  chanting, 
kneeling,  and  the  hke,  and  are  satisfied  if  all  these 
matters  are  scrupulously  observed,  and  sit  down 
contented,  fancjäng  that  all  is  well  with  us,  and  that 
we  are  far  enough  from  Egypt.  Nay,  verily,  dear 
children,  we  are  very  wide  of  the  mark  ;  this  is  all 
a  mere  semblance  and  shadow,  the  leaves  of  the 
fig-tree  which  could  not  satisfy  our  Lord's  hunger  ; 
He  must  find  fruit  on  the  tree,  else  it  is  nigh  to  be 
cursed  by  Him,  that  no  man  taste  fruit  thereof  to  all 
eternity.  Ah  !  how  often  have  you  been  taught  that 
you  ought  not  to  cleave  unto  mere  shadows  and 


246  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

outward  forms.  Although  these  be  wholesome  and 
needful  for  beginners,  still  they  are  but  a  long  way 
off  from  the  real  truth  and  substance,  for  the  sake  of 
which  aU  these  outward  acts  are  performed.  If  you 
do  not  look  to  it  betimes,  you  will  have  the  outward 
shape  remaining,  while  within  there  is  all  manner 
of  sin  and  wickedness  cherished  in  your  hearts, 
as  much  as  with  those  who  have  not  the  show  of 
religion  ;  and  alas !  men  often  fall  into  deeper  vice 
under  this  cloak,  than  if  they  were  yet  in  the  Egypt 
of  worldliness.  It  would  be  better  for  them  if  they 
had  never  quitted  the  world,  for  now  is  there  dam- 
nation greater  while  they  wear  the  garb  of  holiness, 
not  acting  conformably  to  it,  and  yet  claim  and 
make  use  of  all  the  privileges  of  their  religious 
profession. 

Children,  I  know  of  nothing  so  greatly  needed  as 
that  those  who  are  entering  on  a  rehgious  life  should 
be  instructed  with  all  care,  that  they  may  know  what 
things  they  ought  first  to  learn,  and  then  afterwards, 
when  the  outward  practice  of  good  works  and  piety 
has  become  a  habit  to  them,  that  they  may  also 
know  how  to  advance  farther,  and  not  content  them- 
selves or  be  satisfied  with  outward  habits  ;  for  these 
do  not  in  themselves  make  a  perfect  hfe,  but  are 
only  a  good  preparation  and  a  slight  furtherance 
thereto.  If  this  be  early  instilled  into  beginners, 
while  they  are  yet  young,  docile,  and  quick  of 
apprehension,  and  also  hot  and  earnest,  it  may  be 
that  some  of  them  will  study  betimes  to  press  on- 
wards to  what  is  higher.  But,  alas  !  and  worse  than 
alas !  we  have  so  often  to  behold  the  sorrowful 
spectacle  of  some  who  began  in  the  spirit  with  great 
zeal ;    who  at  first  were  so  fervid  that  they  would 


TAULER'S   SERMONS  247 

hardly  turn  their  eyes  upon  any  who  might  lead 
their  thoughts  astray  ;  and  who  now  can  hardly  be 
persuaded  to  quit  men's  company  for  an  hour's 
meditation  ;  some  who  at  first  could  not  bear  to 
listen  to  a  worldly  word,  and  now,  early  and  late,  you 
can  scarcely  get  a  respite  from  their  gossiping,  and 
unprofitable  questions  and  answers  ;  at  first  they 
wanted  to  withdraw  into  silence  and  sohtude,  that 
they  might  by  prayer  and  work  sustain  their  devout- 
ness  ;  and  now,  the  more  earthly  care  they  can 
encumber  themselves  with,  the  better  they  are 
pleased.  Ah  !  this  and  the  hke  is  a  certain  sign 
that  they  are  held  captive  by  the  flesh,  that  they 
have  wandered  into  darkness,  and  in  their  hearts 
turned  back  again  into  Egypt.  Children  !  for  the 
love  of  Christ,  look  to  yourselves  each  of  you,  and 
see  how  it  stands  with  you.  However  well  you  may 
begin  in  virtue,  do  not  rely  upon  your  good  beginning, 
for  all  your  piety  may  pass  away  if  you  are  not  watch- 
ful. Our  hearts  are  more  unstable  than  we  can 
believe. 

Some  are  at  first  so  zealous  for  all  righteousness, 
that  if  they  hear  an  idle  word,  or  witness  any  other 
little  failing,  it  makes  them  angry  ;  but  when  they 
are  a  httle  o'der,  they  indulge  without  any  rebuke  of 
conscience  i.i  such  levity,  evil-speaking,  and  often 
mahcious  ani  scornful  speeches,  that  they  not  only 
cause  others  vexation,  but  even  serious  trouble  and 
sorrow,  and  never  even  give  it  a  thought  whether 
they  may  ha\e  done  so,  but  behave  as  if  they  had 
done  perfectly  right. 

Some  are  at  first  so  strong,  and  ready  to  withstand 
temptation  ani  assaults,  that  they  are  not  even 
afraid  of  the  Devil :   yea,  they  would  fain  be  great 


248  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  holy  martyrs  ;  yet  afterwards,  when  they  have 
lived  for  a  while  among  holy,  pious  people,  you  would 
hardly  meet  with  more  perverse,  cross-grained,  self- 
willed  persons.  Some  are  at  first  so  eager  to  take 
upon  themselves  all  manner  of  hardships  and  in- 
dignities, that  the  severities  and  self-humiliation 
of  those  with  whom  they  live  are  too  light  and  few 
for  them ;  but  after  they  have  travelled  this  road 
for  a  while,  they  are  not  only  able  to  submit  to  the 
ordinary  habits  of  others,  but  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  make  things  comfortable  and  easy  enough  for 
them  to  prevent  their  complaining,  and  every  little 
inconvenience  annoys  them.  Ah  !  what  would  not 
be  needed  to  stop  their  murmuring  ! 

Very  different  from  these  are  many  pious,  warm- 
hearted, spiritual-minded  men,  who  find  the  cross 
very  hard  to  bear  at  first,  but  in  a  short  time  make 
great  progress,  and  become  a  most  edifying  and 
useful  pattern  to  others,  while  those  from  whom  too 
much  was  expected  have  come  to  nothing.  Hence 
we  must  be  very  much  upon  our  guard  because  of 
our  instability ;  we  know  not  what  may  overtake 
us  in  time  to  come. 

Dear  children,  that  each  of  you  may  be  able  in 
some  measure  to  mark  whether  he  be  converted  or 
not,  I  will  lay  open  to  you  a  little,  wheieby  we  may 
perceive  the  sincerity  of  our  own  conversion,  and 
redemption  from  all  the  evil  which  our  Enemy  may 
try  to  lead  us  into  by  his  various  incitements  to  sin. 
In  our  baptism  we  promised  before  God  and  the 
Church  to  withstand  all  sin,  and  to  serve  God  in  all 
holy  living.  But  afterwards  our  widced  adversary 
led  us  astray  again,  so  that  we  fell  afresh,  and  lost  the 
grace  which  had  been  given  us  ;  but  God  of  his  un- 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  249 

speakable  mercy  calls  us  again  to  a  new  repentance, 
that  all  which  we  have  lost  may  be  restored  unto  us. 
But  herein  many  are  beguiled  by  the  Evil  One  into 
deadly  error,  so  that  they  miss  this  opportunity  of 
amendment ;  for  he  knows  how,  with  his  cunning 
wiles,  to  cover  our  old  sins  under  the  mantle  of  con- 
version, and  thus  to  frustrate  all  a  man's  labour  and 
toil.  That  we  may  be  the  better  able  to  escape  him, 
I  will  give  you  some  tokens  to  mark  which  man  is 
truly  converted  and  which  is  not. 

A  truly  converted  Christian  man  abides  in  a  sincere 
and  humble  confession  of  his  nothingness  ;  all  his 
desire  is  that  none  should  set  him  above  others,  nor 
yet  to  rule  over  others,  but  rather  to  be  subject  in  all 
meekness  to  another,  according  to  whose  will  he  may 
fulfil  all  his  works.  He  thinks  lightly  of  himself  and 
his  own  wisdom,  and  desires  in  all  things  to  take  the 
lowest  place  ;  and  is  willing  to  take  advice,  and 
interprets  everything  for  the  best ;  and  simply  in 
the  fear  of  God,  with  a  thankful  heart,  fulfils  all  that 
which  he  is  bidden  or  counselled,  or  that  others  beg 
of  him  to  do.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who 
are  not  truly  converted  think  much  of  themselves, 
and  deem  all  their  works  and  services  of  great  value, 
and  it  is  not  at  all  to  their  taste  to  be  subject  to 
others,  or  that  any  should  have  a  right  to  command 
them,  and  are  fond  of  reproving  others  unnecessarily, 
and  of  discoursing  on  lofty  matters,  and  boast  them- 
selves proudly  of  all  that  belongs  to  them,  and  yet 
cover  all  this  under  a  specious  show  of  piety  and 
humility,  that  men  may  not  take  it  amiss  of  them. 
If  any  seem  to  put  a  slight  upon  them,  they  are 
contentious,  and  defend  and  justify  themselves  to 
the  utmost  that  they  can.     They  are  arrogant  and 


250  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

ambitious,  and  unyielding  in  their  hardness  of  spirit. 
These  are  all  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Enemy,  yea, 
did  they  wear  the  Pope's  tiara. 

Those  who  are  truly  converted  are  kind-hearted 
to  their  neighbours,  indulgent  from  brotherly  love, 
praising  the  works  of  their  neighbours  as  far  as  they 
can,  and  with  great  sincerity  of  heart  rejoice  in  the 
well-being  of  their  neighbour,  and  lend  him  a  helping 
hand  wherever  they  can,  and  have  great  sympathy 
with  him  in  his  troubles  ;  but  the  falsely  converted 
are  spiteful,  and  look  with  an  evil  eye  on  the  useful- 
ness or  piety  of  others,  are  ready  to  breed  mischief 
with  a  taunt,  and  are  revengeful,  sneering,  and 
puffed  up  in  their  own  conceits. 

The  right  sort  of  men  are  patient  under  all  the 
annoyance  and  injustice  that  God  suffers  to  befall 
them,  and  bear  it  long  with  peaceable  tempers. 
They  speak  mildly,  using  soft  words,  and  are  wont 
meekly  to  seek  reconcihation  with  those  who  have 
done  them  wrong  ;  but  the  false  burn  with  anger, 
are  envious  of  others'  good  fortune,  slanderous, 
quarrelsome,  and  censorious,  not  orderly  in  all  their 
affairs,  and  full  of  murmuring  against  all,  above  and 
below  them,  who  do  not  conform  to  their  wishes. 

The  truly  righteous  are  ever  gentle  and  merciful, 
ready  to  give  and  to  assist  as  far  as  they  are  able, 
without  regard  to  their  own  advantage  ;  for  they 
despise  the  perishable  things  of  time,  and  main- 
tain their  love,  enjoyment,  and  cheerfulness  under 
distress,  poverty,  and  contempt,  being  easily  con- 
tented and  cheerful,  and  thankful  to  Almighty 
God,  in  spirit  looking  up  constantly  to  God  who 
preserves  and  sustains  them,  and  casting  behind 
them  all  unprofitable  earthly  anxieties,  that  they 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  251 

may  give  the  more  heed  to  the  things  of  God  and 
eternity.  But  the  false  burn  Hke  a  furnace  with 
the  desire  of  temporal  things,  and  seek  their  own 
pleasure  and  ease  when  and  how  they  may,  and  often 
steal  time  and  other  things  for  it,  that  they  may  not 
be  discovered  by  their  superiors  ;  or  if  they  can  no 
longer  conceal  their  practices,  then  they  indulge  in 
them  with  an  obstinate  bold  face,  and  steal  time 
for  themselves  shamelessly  in  the  teeth  of  their 
masters.  They  want  to  have  praise  and  earthly 
reward  for  all  that  they  do,  and  if  they  are  not 
honoured  and  thought  highly  of,  they  become  like 
one  possessed,  and  openly  or  secretly  do  all  the  harm 
they  can  for  spite  and  vexation.  They  are  always 
hoping  to  receive  a  worldly  and  corruptible  reward 
for  their  religious  professions,  and  are  often  seduced 
into  actual  deceit  and  lying,  in  their  struggle  to  get 
honour  or  to  save  their  reputation. 

The  upright  are  careful  to  fill  up  their  time  indus- 
triously, with  good  and  useful  undertakings  to  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  their  neighbours, 
rejoicing  in  spirit  as  they  exercise  themselves  in  good 
works,  endeavouring  to  do  all  things  well,  and  con- 
tinue with  hearty  trust  in  God,  steadfast  in  goodness. 
The  false  converts  are  constantly  indolent  and  half- 
hearted in  their  work,  wavering,  ill-mannered,  easily 
disheartened,  and  altogether  drowsy,  their  minds 
lying  waste  and  their  hearts  undisciplined. 

The  true  converts  are  moderate  and  decorous  in 
the  satisfying  of  their  natural  wants,  shunning  all 
excess,  and  if  they  by  accident  transgress,  avoiding  it 
for  the  future.  By  moderation  in  eating,  they  keep 
their  faculties  clear  and  under  control ;  and  above 
all,  they  most  earnestly  guard  against  any  excess  in 


252  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

drinking.  But  false  professors  are  given  to  eating 
and  drinking,  yet  they  can  never  fully  satisfy  their 
desires,  and  are  unthankful  to  God  for  the  food  He 
gives  them.  Without  restraint  or  good  manners, 
they  cram  their  bodies,  whereby  they  often  bring  on 
grievous  sicknesses,  and  they  seek  their  pleasure 
without  shame  wherever  they  can.  And  after  excess 
at  table,  some  give  way  to  unseemly  levity  in  words 
and  gestures,  and  inconvenient  jesting,  and  telling 
and  hearing  all  manner  of  tales.  Others  become 
quarrelsome,  brawling,  and  so  noisy,  that  to  hear 
their  senseless  cries  you  would  think  them  asses, 
not  men.  Some  become  so  sleepy  and  lazy  after 
dinner,  that  they  could  scarcely  repeat  the  Lord's 
Prayer  without  a  blunder ;  and  in  general,  sloth 
and  the  like  commonly  proceed  from  strong  drinks 
and  over-feeding.  Hence  it  is  that  all  holy  men 
have  insisted  so  strongly  upon  simplicity  in  food 
and  drink,  that  they  might  give  no  cause  in  them- 
selves or  others  to  such  infirmities.  But  now,  alas  ! 
it  has  gone  so  far,  that  even  the  clergy,  for  the  most 
part,  cannot,  or  rather  will  not,  content  themselves 
even  with  rich  men's  fare  ;  and  from  this  cause  their 
blindness  has  grown  so  great  that  it  is  rare  now-a- 
days  to  find  one  who  is  really  aware  of  the  dangers 
from  this  source  to  which  he  is  exposed  by  the 
assaults  or  suggestions  of  the  Devil.  For  the  adver- 
sary is  apt  to  bring  these  men  sooner  than  they  think 
for  into  an  inclination  towards,  or  even  to  commit 
acts  of  foul  uncleanness,  by  defiling  their  heart 
with  obscene  thoughts  and  evü  lusts ;  and  in  this  way 
they  often  sin  grossly,  and  provoke  God  more  than 
they  beheve.  And  then  the  tumult  of  evil  desires 
within  makes  them  to  be  unfit  for  good  works,  and 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  253 

displeasing  to  God  and  holy  men  ;  and  they  are  so 
tossed,  and  driven,  and  blinded  by  passion,  that  they 
actually  try  to  quench  it  in  riotous  company,  and  in 
eating  and  drinking.  This  leads  to  inordinate  merri- 
ment and  light  discourse,  which  are  generally  wont 
to  estrange  a  man  so  much  from  all  godly  thoughts, 
that  afterwards  he  can  hardly  read  a  verse  with 
devotion  ;  and  in  his  very  prayers  the  Devil  brings 
the  scenes  he  has  witnessed  and  the  language  he  has 
heard  so  vividly  before  him,  that  he  can  sccirce  hold 
in  his  tittering  and  laughing. 

The  righteous  and  truly  converted  men  are  so 
shamefaced  and  chaste  of  heart  before  God  and  the 
angels,  that  they  would  rather  die  than  conceive  an 
impure  image  in  their  hearts,  and  with  all  watchful- 
ness they  preserve  their  mind  pure  and  unsullied, 
and  they  diligently  keep  all  their  senses  and  members 
under  strict  and  constant  control,  insomuch  that 
they  will  hardly  pay  any  attention  to  their  own 
bodies,  except  for  safety  and  cleanhness  ;  and  for 
the  better  preserving  of  their  pureness  of  mind,  they 
chastise  their  bodies  with  fasting,  and  watching, 
and  toil,  exercising  constant  prayerfulness  and  trust 
in  God,  in  whom  all  their  help  Ues.  But  the  false 
of  heart  do  not  see  much  harm  in  looking  at  and 
dwelling  on  evil,  sinful  thoughts  and  images  in  their 
hearts  ;  hence  they  often  come  into  such  perturba- 
tion of  soul  and  body,  that  they  stand,  as  it  were, 
in  the  very  gate  of  hell ;  yea,  they  often  fall  so  deep, 
as  to  give  consent  to  sin  with  their  heart,  and  would 
actually  fulfil  all  wickedness  if  the  opportunity  arose. 
So  unthinkingly  do  they  fall  through  love  of  them- 
selves, in  seeking  the  pleasure  of  the  body  !  Some 
of   these  become   so  hardened,   and   restless,   and 


254  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

maddened  with  the  sense  of  restraint,  that  they 
come  to  hate  God  for  having  forbidden  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh,  and  wish  He  did  not  know  of  their  sins, 
or  was  not  able  to  punish  them,  which  is  as  much 
as  to  wish  that  there  were  no  God. 

And  now,  dear  children,  consider  how  you  stand  ; 
and,  seeing  the  perils  which  beset  us  all,  let  no  one  be 
too  secure  or  too  bold,  but  let  each  look  to  himself  in 
fear  ;  and  however  well  it  may  be  with  him  now,  let 
him  not  trust  in  his  goodness  ;  and  however  deeply 
he  may  have  fallen,  or  however  far  he  may  have 
wandered,  let  him  now  turn  and  be  converted  of  a 
truth,  for  the  path  to  aU  goodness  stands  yet  open 
to  him  so  long  as  God  spares  him  in  life.  That  we 
may  all  enter  therein,  may  God  help  us  !     Amen. 


VIII 

Sermon  for  the  Sixth  Sunday 
after  Epiphany 

(From  the  Gospel  for  St.  Matthias  '-day,  24th  February) 

Of  the  proper  marks  of  true  humility. 

Matt.  xi.  29. — "  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart." 

CHRIST,  our  blessed  Lord,  the  true  master 
and  teacher  of  all  art  and  virtue,  and  a 
pattern  of  all  perfection,  when  He  came  down  from 
Heaven  to  instruct  us  poor  ignorant  men,  did  not 
see  fit  to  make  use  of  great  subtleties,  or  mysterious 
and  ingenious  statements  of  truth  ;  but  in  short, 
plain,  simple  words  He  delivered  to  us  a  maxim, 
and  gave  us  a  very  short,  easy  lesson,  which  we 
were  well  able  to  learn.  Now  this  stood  written  in 
the  book  of  His  holy  humanity,  in  large,  distinct 
letters,  easy  to  be  read,  and  runs  thus  :  "  Learn  of 
me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart." 

What  shorter,  easier,  more  intelligible  lesson  could 
be  set  us  ?  but  we  must  give  our  minds  with  wilUng 
industry  to  read  it  over  and  over  again  attentively, 
and  practise  it  in  our  life,  ever  looking  to  the  admir- 
able model  of  the  divine  humanity  of  Christ,  whose 
whole  life  was  not  only  meek  and  humble,  but  whose 


256  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

words,  ways,  walk,  and  all  that  ever  He  did,  are 
simply  the  illustration  of  this  doctrine.  Hence  He 
chose  at  the  beginning  such  scholars  and  disciples 
as  were  specially  fitted  to  learn  this  doctrine,  and 
these  were  the  holy  apostles,  and  His  blessed  mother, 
who  said  when  she  had  conceived  Him  :  "He  hath 
regarded  the  lowhness  of  His  handmaiden."  Thus 
He  says,  in  the  Gospel  for  this  day,  "  I  thank  thee, 

0  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and  earth,  because  thou 
hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent " 
(that  is  from  the  proud),  "  and  hath  revealed  them 
unto  babes  "  (that  is  to  the  humble).  From  this  we 
gather  that  none  but  the  humble  are  able  to  receive 
the  hidden  things  of  God.  Therefore,  dear  children, 
that  we  may  obtain  this  grace,  and  the  better  learn 
this  lesson,  we  shall  now  consider  some  tokens  of  true 
lowhness  which  is  never  without  meekness,  and  these 
are  the  following : 

1  He  who  sincerely  desires  to  become  lowly  of  heart, 
must  not  be  ashamed  of  performing  any  outward 
office  such  as  the  worldly  heart  thinks  mean  and 
humiliating  ;  for  as  it  is  a  sure  token  of  conversion 
from  sin  that  it  becomes  hateful  to  the  man,  so  it  is 
a  sign  of  true  repentance,  when  he  is  ready  in  aU 
things  to  take  the  meanest  place,  if  that  he  may 
attain  to  that  true  lowhness  of  heart  which  is  seated 
inwardly  in  the  soul.  And  he  who  will  go  forward 
in  this  blessed  path  must  faithfully  examine  himself, 
and  to  this  end  God  also  will  bestow  on  him  such 
great  grace  as  he  has  never  had  before. 

He  must  always  be  ready  to  acknowledge  himself 
in  fault  towards  whomsoever  it  may  be,  and  esteem 
others  better  than  himself ;  for  by  so  doing  the 
loving  heart  can  best  soften  the  dispositions  of  men, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  257 

and  touch  their  hearts,  and  win  them  over  to  meek- 
ness. And  although  he  be  sometimes  not  justly  to 
be  reckoned  as  in  fault  at  all,  yet  knowing  that  he 
might  have  done  the  wrong,  he  shall  always  behave 
himself  humbly,  for  the  sake  of  love,  to  the  glory 
of  God,  seeing  that  God  has  forgiven  him  sins  ere 
he  committed  them  ;  for  it  is  equally  an  act  of  mercy 
to  forgive  sins,  or  to  preserve  us  from  sinning. 

In  the  third  place,  it  belongs  to  a  lowly  heart  to  be 
kindly  affected  towards  all,  not  with  a  partial  love  J 
that  is,  not  to  show  more  kindness  to  one  than 
another,  to  friends  more  than  strangers,  but  to  do 
good  to  all  for  God's  sake,  as  our  neighbours,  not 
from  mere  natural  affection,  but  to  bestow  on  all  a 
free,  generous  love  (like  our  Father  in  Heaven,  "  who 
maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust "), 
and  also  to  love  each  according  to  his  worthiness. 

In  the  fourth  place,  it  is  necessary  to  lowliness  of 
heart  that  we  divest  and  disencumber  ourselves  of 
all  things,  that  we  may  cleave  only  to  our  merciful 
God,  and  become  one  with  Him  ;  for  God  will  not 
and  cannot  unite  Himself  or  dwell  with  a  worldly 
heart.  Therefore  let  a  man  bow  himself  to  the  earth 
beneath  God  and  his  creatures,  in  self-annihilation 
inward  and  outward  ;  and  this  is  what  is  meant  by 
forsaking  all  things,  and  putting  away  the  creature. 
The  fifth  token  of  true  lowhness  of  heart  is  to  know 
how  to  suffer  to  the  glory  of  God,  for  sincere  love 
of  God,  simply  hoping,  believing,  and  trusting  in 
Him. 

Thus  a  lowly  walk  consists  in  three  things ;  in 
patient  endurance,  in  giving  up  out  of  love  and  faith, 
and  in  hope  towards  God.    And  from  these  flows  the 

R 


258  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

sense  of  our  own  wretchedness,  the  knowledge  of  our 
Creator,  and  a  will  wholly  resigned  to  God,  not  for 
our  own  sake,  but  for  the  glory  of  God.  May  God 
help  us  to  learn  thus  to  be  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 
Amen  ! 


IX 

Sermon  for  Septuagesima  Sunday 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

In  this  Sermon  following  we  are  taught  how  we  must 
perpetually  press  forward  towards  our  highest  good, 
without  pause  or  rest ;  and  how  we  must  labour 
in  the  spiritual  vineyard  thai  it  may  bring  forth 
good  fruit. 

Matt.  xx.  i. — "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an 
householder,  which  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  labourers 
into  bis  vineyard." 

THIS  householder  went  out  early  at  the  first 
hour,  and  again  at  the  third  and  at  the 
sixth  hours,  and  hired  labourers  for  a  penny  a  day. 
But  when  it  was  quite  late  in  the  evening  he  went  out 
again,  and  still  found  men  standing  idle.  Then  he 
said  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ? 
Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  is 
right  I  will  give  you. 

Dear  children,  this  householder  signifies  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  His  house  is  the  heavens,  and  this 
earth,  and  purgatory,  and  hell.  He  saw  that  all 
nature  had  gone  astray,  insomuch  that  His  lovely 
vineyard  lay  a  barren  waste ;  and  man,  whom  He 
had  made  to  possess  this  fair  and  fruitful  vineyard, 


26o  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

had  wandered  far  away  from  Him,  and  left  this 
excellent  vineyard  to  be  untiUed.  But  the  Lord 
of  the  vineyard  determined  to  invite  men  to  return 
into  this  vineyard  for  which  He  had  created  him, 
and  went  out  early  to  that  end. 

Dear  children,  in  one  sense  Jesus  Christ  went  out 
early  from  the  divine  bosom  of  the  Father,  and  yet 
evermore  dwells  there.  But  in  another  sense.  He 
went  out  early  in  human  nature,  that  He  might  hire 
us  into  His  service,  and  bring  us  back  again  into  His 
noble  vineyard,  and  so  there  might  be  labourers  to 
till  it.  And  He  went  out  at  the  first  hour,  and  also  at 
the  third,  and  sixth,  and  ninth  hours.  And  at  the 
eleventh  hour  He  went  out  once  more,  and  again 
found  men  standing  idle,  to  whom  he  spoke  roughly, 
saying.  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ?  Then 
they  answered.  No  man  hath  hired  us.  Lord.  These 
idle  men  whom  no  man  hath  hired  are  those  who  are 
still  in  their  original,  uncorrupt,  and  innocent  state, 
and  hence  they  are  rightly  called  blessed  ;  for  God 
saw  as  He  looked  on  them,  that  they  were  unhired  ; 
that  is,  not  held  in  servitude  to  the  world  and  the 
creatures.  There  are  some  who  are  God's  hired 
labourers,  and  these  are  in  a  higher  sense  free,  and 
at  large,  and  not  held  in  servitude  to  the  world  or 
the  creature.  But  these  of  whom  we  are  now 
speaking  are  still  standing  idle,  which  ought  not 
to  be  ;  that  is,  they  are  standing  in  apathy,  cold, 
loveless,  and  devoid  of  grace  ;  for  so  long  as  a 
man  is  not  standing  in  the  grace  of  God,  he  is  stand- 
ing alone  in  nature.  And  if  such  a  man  (were  it 
possible,  which  it  is  not)  were  to  fulfil  all  the  good 
works  which  have  ever  been  done  in  this  world,  he 
would  still,  nevertheless,  be  living  altogether  idly. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  261 

unprofitably,  and  in  vain,  and  it  would  avail  him 
nothing.  Again,  this  going  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing is  a  type  of  the  dawning  of  the  grace  of  God 
in  the  soul ;  for  the  morning  is  the  end  of  the  night, 
when  the  darkness  vanishes,  and  the  day-spnng 
of  grace  arises  in  the  soul  of  man,  and  God  says, 
Wherefore  stand  ye  here  idle?  Go  ye  into  my 
vineyard,  and  what  is  right,  that  will  I  give  you. 

But  the  men  entered  after  a  very  unequal  manner 
into  the  vineyard.  One  class  are  those  who  are  mere 
beginners  ;  these  work  in  God's  vineyard  with  out- 
ward acts,  and  bodily  exercises,  and  self-imposed 
tasks,  and  are  persuaded  that  they  are  accompUsh- 
ing  great  good  works  with  their  fasting,  watching, 
and  praying  ;  while  they  never  look  to  the  purity 
of  their  motives,  but  retain  their  love  of  earthly 
enjoyments,  and  their  own  likes  and  disUkes.  And 
therefrom  do  spring  up  injustice,  false  judgment, 
and  many  faults  ;  such  as  pride,  earthly  or  spiritual, 
bitterness  or  enmity,  and  more  of  the  hke,  that 
greatly  hinder  the  outpouring  of  divine  grace,  if 
we  allow  these  untoward  dispositions  to  break  forth 
in  words  or  actions.  Let  one  who  has  thus  been 
building  upon  a  false  foundation  give  heed  to  him- 
self, and  watch  how  he  may  best  condemn  and 
destroy  this  inward  falsehood,  that  it  lead  not  to 
his  own  ruin,  nor  cause  harm  to  those  with  whom 
he  may  hold  converse. 

A  second  class  of  men  who  have  likewise  entered 
into  God's  vineyard,  are  those  who  are  above  hving 
for  mere  temporal  things,  and  have  also  overcome 
their  grosser  sins,  and  have  turned  their  minds 
towards  higher  things.  Their  hfe  is  spent  in  the 
rational  practice  of  virtue ;  and  in  this  they  find  such 


262  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

pleasure  and  delight,  that  they  are  contented  with 
their  condition,  and  miss  the  highest  and  sublimest 
truth  ;  for  they  abide  in  the  present  sense  of  satis- 
faction, and  do  not  pant  to  reach  upward  through 
and  above  this  enjoyment  to  the  eternal  God  Himself. 
For  our  delight  ought  to  be  in  God  Himself,  not  in 
these  gifts  of  His. 

But  the  third  class  of  those  who  go  into  God's 
vineyard  are  truly  noble  and  highly-favoured  men, 
who  in  deed  and  truth  rise  above  all  creature  things 
in  God's  vineyard  ;  for  they  seek  and  love  nothing 
but  simply  God  in  Himself.  They  neither  look  to 
pleasure,  nor  to  any  selfish  end,  nor  to  that  which  is 
a  mere  outflow  from  God ;  for  their  inner  man  is 
wholly  plunged  in  God,  and  they  have  no  end  but 
the  praise  and  glory  of  God,  that  His  good  pleasure 
alone  may  be  fulfilled  in  and  through  them  and  in  all 
creatures.  Hence  they  are  able  to  bear  all  things 
and  to  resign  all  things,  for  they  receive  all  things 
as  from  God's  hand,  and  offer  up  to  Him  again  in 
simplicity  of  heart  all  that  they  have  received  from 
Him,  and  do  not  lay  claim  to  any  of  His  mercies. 
They  are  like  a  river  that  flows  out  with  every  tide, 
and  then  again  hastens  back  to  its  source.  So  do 
these  men  refer  all  their  gifts  back  to  the  source 
whence  they  proceed,  and  flow  back  again  unto  it 
themselves  hkewise.  For  inasmuch  as  they  carry 
all  the  gifts  of  God  back  unto  their  divine  fountain, 
and  do  not  claim  any  ownership  in  them,  either  for 
pleasure  or  advantage,  and  do  not  purpose  this  or 
that,  but  simply  God  alone,  God  must  of  necessity 
be  their  only  refuge  and  stay,  outward  or  inward. 

But  although  this  aim  carry  a  man  so  completely 
out  of  himself,  and  be  perfectly  simple  and  directed 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  263 

to  nothing  but  God,  yet  nature  has  some  regard  to 
herself,  of  which  a  man  cannot  be  wholly  bereft. 
Whether  he  choose  it  or  no  (this  is  a  simple  fact),  he 
cannot  but  always  desire  to  feel  God's  presence  ;  and 
so  too  it  is  a  natural  instinct  to  wish  to  be  happy. 
But  this  desire  should  be  far  from  his  strongest,  and 
the  least  part  of  what  he  takes  into  the  account  in 
his  purposes.  [*And  here  I  wish  to  rebuke  all  those 
religious  persons  who  are  leaning  on  their  good  works, 
and  as  it  were  keep  a  right  of  property  in  them, 
thinking  themselves  free  to  do  or  not  to  do  them. 
For  whenever  they  see  or  imagine  any  new  under- 
taking or  religious  practice  which  can  afford  them 
inward  or  outward  satisfaction,  they  give  themselves 
to  it  with  prayer,  and  striving,  and  weeping,  and 
watching.  And  as  long  as  they  find  pleasure  in  it, 
they  cannot  have  enough  of  it ;  but  if  this  sense  of 
pleasure  and  interest  passes  away,  their  devotion 
passes  away  likewise,  and  they  come  to  dislike  their 
good  and  holy  work,  and  then  they  grow  lukewarm 
and  careless,  performing  all  they  do  without  de- 
votion. All  this  is  owing  to  their  not  having  had  a 
single  eye  to  God's  glory.  They  have  been  prompted 
and  sustained  in  their  labour  by  the  pleasure  it  has 
yielded  them,  and  now  this  has  fled.  For  we  must 
not  seek  enjoyment  and  sweetness  in  the  gifts  of 
God,  either  in  holy  exercises,  or  in  words  or  works  ; 
but  we  must  take  deUght  in  God  alone,  and  not  in 
his  gifts. 

There  are,  however,  some  religious  persons  who 
will  not  be  left  without  solace  or  stay.  For  rather 
than  be  left  simply  and  truly  without   a  solace, 

*  The  parts  enclosed  between  brackets  are  wanting  in  the  Strasburg 
MSS.  ;  but,  according  to  the  Frankfort  Edition  of  1826,  exist  in  the 
edition  of  1498. 


264  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

destitute  and  bare,  they  set  up  for  themselves 
heavenly  beings,  such  as  the  saints  and  angels,  and 
claim  a  sort  of  right  to  them  as  a  source  of  spiritual 
enjoyment,  and  look  to  them  as  a  consolation. 
Thus  they  will  say  :  "  Such  a  saint  or  angel  is  dear 
to  me  before  all  others  ;  "  and  if  you  throw  down 
this  prop  of  their  own  raising,  and  say  that  they  ought 
not  to  speak  thus,  you  leave  them  little  peace  ;  nay, 
they  are  greatly  disquieted ;  and  this  is  worst  of 
all,  and  doing  God  a  great  wrong.  Thou  must  not 
place  thy  reliance  on  any  creature  in  heaven  or  on 
earth,  nor  repose  nor  lean  on  any  save  God  alone. 
If  thou  didst  trust  Him  really  and  tr\ily,  all  His 
saints  would  be  truly  and  rightly  honoured  and 
reverenced  by  thee ;  for  the  departed  saints  are 
always  absorbed  in  the  divine,  fatherly  abyss  of  the 
Holy  Trinity.  For  I  tell  thee  by  that  Truth,  which 
is  God  Himself,  if  thou  art  ever  to  become  a  man 
after  the  will  of  God,  everything  must  die  in  thee 
to  which  thou  art  cleaving,  whether  it  be  God's  gifts, 
or  the  saints,  or  the  angels,  or  even  all  that  would 
afford  thee  consolation  for  thy  spiritual  wants : 
all  must  be  given  up.  If  God  is  to  shine  in  on  thy 
soul  brightly,  without  a  cloud,  and  accomplish  His 
noble  and  glorious  wiU  in  thee,  thou  must  be  free 
and  unencumbered  by  all  that  affords  thee  comfort 
out  of  God. 

We  are  not,  therefore,  forbidden  to  honour  the 
blessed  saints,  but  only  to  claim  any  property  in  their 
merits  for  the  sake  of  our  own  delight  in  them  ;  for  I 
tell  thee,  that  if  thou  hadst  all  manner  of  heavenly 
grace  from  God,  and  didst  possess  the  good  works  of 
all  mankind,  so  soon  as  thou  shouldst  claim  it  as 
thine  own,  for  the  sake  of  thine  own  delight  therein. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  265 

that  moment  all  this  goodness  would  be  sullied  and 
defaced  with  thine  own  evil.  For  a  true  and  faithful 
servant  of  God  shall  be  always  pressing  upward  to 
what  is  before  him,  not  suffering  himself  to  be  held 
back  by  comfort  or  pleasure,  joy  or  sorrow,  wealth 
or  poverty.  Through  all  this  he  shall  urge  onward, 
till  he  come  unto  the  infinite  ocean  of  the  Godhead. 
And  therein  he  shall  be  lost  without  his  own  know- 
ledge, and  dazzled  by  excess  of  light  and  love.  There 
it  shall  be  given  him  to  know  all  that  belongs  to  true 
perfection.] 

A  good  and  devout  man  shall  be  like  the  labourer 
in  the  vineyard,  who  works  all  the  day  long,  and 
nevertheless  he  must  take  food.  But  the  labour  is 
long  and  the  meal  barely  lasts  an  hour,  and  he  only 
takes  it  for  the  sake  of  the  work.  He  must  eat  that 
he  may  work,  and  the  nourishment  he  takes  diffuses 
itself  through  every  part  of  his  body,  continually 
supplying  it  with  fresh  strength,  which  again  is  con- 
sumed in  his  labour  ;  and  when  it  has  been  consumed 
with  labour  he  eats  again  a  little,  that  he  may  again 
consume  it  by  working  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  So 
is  it  with  a  noble-minded  man.  When  he  feels  an 
inclination  in  himself  to  enjoy  God  or  His  heavenly 
grace  and  what  is  thereof,  let  him  for  a  little  while 
seek  and  purpose  his  own  good,  but  not  longer  than  is 
needful  for  the  nourishing  of  his  soul,  that  he  may 
consume  his  spiritual  strength  again  in  labour  ;  and 
when  it  has  thus  been  spent  in  the  noblest  of  all  ways, 
from  a  love  flowing  back  unto  God  who  has  inspired 
it,  then  the  man  must  go  for  refreshment  again  into 
the  river  of  Hfe  that  floweth  out  from  the  throne  of 
God,  that  it  may  again  bring  forth  in  him  the  fruit 
of  good  works.     All  these  spiritual  men  who  thus 


266  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

know  how  to  resign  or  to  return  again  unto  God,  with 
their  body  and  their  spirits,  the  gifts  that  He  has 
mercifully  bestowed  on  them,  with  deep,  humble 
self-renunciation,  these  do  continually  grow  more 
able  and  more  worthy  to  receive  blessing  from  God. 
Where  such  admirable,  god-like  men  are  to  be  found, 
they  are  worthy,  as  none  else  are,  to  be  fed  with 
gold  and  silver  and  fine  pearls,  and  the  best  that  the 
world  contains  as  their  heritage.  But  there  is  many 
a  poor  noble  man  of  God,  who  has  none  of  all  these 
things  ;  let  such  an  one  humbly  cast  himself  on  the 
all-powerful  God  and  trust  him  utterly ;  without 
doubt  thy  heavenly  Father  will  and  must  provide 
thee  well,  yea,  wert  thou  hidden  in  a  rock. 

These  exalted  and  most  noble  men  are  just  Hke 
the  wood  of  the  vine,  which  is  outwardly  hard  and 
black  and  dry,  and  good  for  no  purpose  whatever  ; 
and  if  we  had  never  seen  it  before,  we  should  think 
it  of  no  use  at  all,  and  good  for  nothing  but  to  be 
thrown  into  the  fire,  and  burned.  But  in  this  dry 
wood  of  the  vine,  there  he  concealed  the  living 
veins  of  sap,  and  power  of  yielding  the  noblest  of 
all  juices,  and  of  bringing  forth  a  greater  abundance 
of  fruit  than  any  other  sort  of  wood  that  grows. 
And  thus  it  is  with  these  beloved  and  lowly  children, 
who  are  at  all  times  and  seasons  plunged  in  God ; 
they  are  outwardly  in  appearance  like  unto  black 
rotten  wood,  seeming  unto  men  dry  and  unprofitable. 
For  there  are  many  of  these  who  are  humble,  noways 
remarkable  for  their  gifts,  outward  or  inward,  nor  for 
any  extraordinary  works  or  sajdngs  or  exercises  of 
devotion,  and  who  move  in  the  narrowest  sphere; 
but  living  veins  from  the  fountain  of  truth  lie  hidden 
within  them,  forasmuch  as  they  have  asked  for  no 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  267 

earthly  heritage,  but  God  is  their  lot   and  their 
portion,  their  life  and  their  being. 

Now  the  vine-dresser  goes  out  and  prunes  the  vine, 
lopping  off  the  wild  shoots  ;  for  if  he  neglected  this, 
and  suffered  them  to  remain  on  the  good  stem,  the 
whole  would  yield  bad,  sour  wine.  So  likewise  shall 
good  men  do  :  they  shall  cut  off  from  themselves 
all  that  is  not  according  to  God's  order  in  their 
conduct  or  dispositions,  likings  or  dislikings,  and 
destroy  it  to  the  very  root ;  thou  shalt  cut  away  all 
evil  failings  from  thy  heart,  and  it  will  do  thee  no 
harm,  either  in  head  or  in  hand,  or  any  member. 
But  hold  thy  knife  still,  till  thou  hast  really  seen 
what  ought  to  be  cut  off.  If  a  vine  dresser  be  not 
skilled  in  his  art,  he  is  as  likely  to  crop  off  the  good 
branches  which  bear  the  grapes  as  the  wild  shoots, 
and  thus  spoil  the  vineyard.  So  it  is  with  those 
who  do  not  understand  this  spiritual  art ;  they  leave 
the  roots  of  vice  and  evil  dispositions  alive  in  the 
heart,  and  hew  and  lop  at  poor  nature,  and  thereby 
destroy  this  noble  vineyard.  Nature  is  in  itself 
good  and  noble,  why  shouldst  thou  hew  away  aught 
that  belongs  to  it  ?  For  I  tell  thee  that  when  the 
time  is  come  for  it  to  yield  fruit  in  a  godly,  blessed, 
devout  hfe,  then  it  will  be  seen  that  thou  hast  spoiled 
thy  nature. 

After  this  the  labourer  binds  up  the  vine,  put- 
ting in  stakes  ;  he  bends  the  upper  branches  down 
towards  the  earth,  and  fastens  the  vine  to  a  strong 
framework,  that  it  may  have  a  support.  This 
is  a  type  of  the  sweet  and  holy  life,  the  sacred 
example  and  sufferings  of  our  blessed  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  for  these  and  nothing  of  our  own  should  be 
a  man's  stay.    For  the  higher  powers  of  his  reason 


268  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

shall  be  drawn  down  into  due  control,  and  he  shall 
sink  low  in  deep  submissive  humility  before  Our 
Lord,  in  truth  and  not  with  hypocrisy,  with  all  his 
powers,  outward  and  inward.  For  when  both  the 
appetites  of  the  body,  and  the  highest  intellectual 
powers  of  the  soul  are  thus  trained  and  bound  down, 
each  in  its  own  place,  so  that  neither  the  senses  nor 
the  will,  nor  any  faculty,  is  left  too  free  and  too 
proud,  but  they  are  at  all  times  controlled  and 
trained  into  due  rightful  order  under  the  Divine 
will,  and  man's  desire  at  all  times,  and  in  all  things, 
is  to  be  by  the  help  and  grace  of  God,  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power,  outwardly  and  inwardly  obedient  to 
the  Divine  will,  without  contradiction,  in  all  that 
the  Eternal  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  has  deter- 
mined in  His  eternal  divine  counsels  ; — [and  when 
all  the  powers  humbly  act  in  this  way,  in  depend- 
ence upon  God,  whether  they  are  exercised  or  kept 
in  check, — were  it  within  the  bounds  of  reasonable 
possibility  that  a  man  could  be  conscious  of  possess- 
ing all  the  good  works,  and  all  the  heavenly  graces 
of  all  mankind,  and  yet  took  none  of  all  this  unto 
himself,  but,  calling  nothing  his  own,  stood  up 
destitute  and  bare,  in  free,  simple  love  to  God,  as 
if  all  this  goodness  belonged  to  another,  and  not 
himself  ; — Children,  wherever  such  noble  men  may 
exist  or  live  in  this  age  of  grace,  in  them  may  the 
Father  of  Heaven  truly  and  absolutely  accomplish  His 
divine  and  mysterious  work  without  any  hindrance. 
And  in  him  whose  heart  is  not  sincerely  standing  thus 
toward  God,  as  to  the  guiding  principle  of  his  life,  in 
him  doubt  not  that  this  holy,  divine  birth  cannot  be 
truly  brought  to  pass  or  be  made  fruitful.] 

Afterward  the  vine-dresser  digs  about  the  stems  of 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  269 

the  vine,  and  roots  out  all  noxious  weeds.  Thus 
shall  a  devout  man  dig  about  the  soil  of  his  own  heart 
by  close  observation  and  testing  of  his  own  principles, 
to  see  whether  there  be  aught  for  him  to  root  out. 
And  if  he  find  anything,  let  him  that  moment  pluck 
it  up,  however  trifling  or  unimportant  it  may  be, 
that  the  beams  of  the  eternal  and  divine  sun  may 
penetrate  the  farther  into  his  very  midst,  shining 
with  unbeclouded  force,  and  fructifying  his  noblest 
powers.  For  thus  the  glorious  sun  draws  the  juices 
outward  into  the  Hving  vessels  which  lie  hidden  in 
the  bark,  and  then  the  fair  clusters  begin  to  appear. 
Ah !  children,  if  man  knew  how  so  to  tend  his  vine, 
that  God's  sun  might  shine  in  on  and  vivify  his  soul, 
what  sweet,  excellent,  delicious  fruit  would  the 
eternal  sun  draw  forth  from  him  !  For  the  lovely 
sun  shines  with  aU  its  fulness  into  him,  and  works 
within  these  precious  clusters,  and  makes  them 
flourish  in  sweetness  and  beauty.  Their  blossoms 
send  forth  a  sweet  and  dehcate  fragrance,  which 
dispels  all  poisonous  vapours ;  neither  serpent  nor 
toad  can  endure  their  perfume,  when  the  eternal 
divine  sun  shines  direct  among  the  branches,  and 
through  the  clusters.  The  fruit  is  so  entirely  of  God's 
producing,  and  flourishes  in  such  beauty  and  richness, 
in  pure  looking  up  to  God,  whose  rays  draw  forth 
from  it  such  wondrous  and  deUcious  favour  and 
perfume,  that  it  needs  must  destroy  the  venom 
of  the  old  serpent ;  yea,  had  all  the  devils  in  hell, 
and  all  the  men  on  earth  conspired  together,  they 
would  not  be  able  in  the  least  to  injure  a  thoroughly 
godly-minded  and  God-loving  man,  but  the  more 
they  strive  to  injure  him,  the  deeper  he  is  rooted 
and  the  higher  he  is  built  up  in  God  with  all  his 


870  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

powers.  And  if  such  an  admirable  man,  bearing 
his  precious  fruit,  were  to  be  cast  down  to  the  depths 
of  hell,  he  must  needs  turn  it  into  a  kingdom  of 
heaven,  and  God  and  eternal  blessedness  would 
exist  in  hell.  And  a  man  who  should  bear  such  fruit 
would  not  need  to  fear  in  anywise  all  the  reproach 
that  could  be  heaped  upon  him.  When  we  have 
no  aim  but  God,  nothing  can  part  us  from  Him,  or 
lead  us  astray. 

Now  after  that  the  vine  has  been  well  pruned, 
and  its  stem  cleared  of  all  weeds,  the  glorious  sun 
shineth  yet  more  brightly,  and  casteth  his  heat  on 
the  precious  clusters,  and  these  grow  more  and  more 
transparent,  and  the  sweetness  begins  to  disclose 
itself  more  and  more.  And  to  such  a  man  as  we 
have  described,  all  means  of  communication  between 
God  and  his  soul  begin  after  a  time  to  grow  so  trans- 
parent that  the  rays  and  glances  of  the  divine  sun 
reach  him  without  ceasing,  that  is,  as  often  and  as 
soon  as  he  turns  himself  towards  them  in  feeling 
and  thought.  This  divine  sun  shines  much  more 
brightly  than  all  the  suns  in  the  firmament  ever 
shone  ;  and  in  its  light  all  the  man's  ways,  and  works, 
and  doings  are  so  changed  into  its  image,  that  he 
feels  nothing  to  be  so  true  as  God,  with  a  certainty 
that  is  rooted  in  the  very  midst  of  his  being,  yet  is  far 
above  the  sphere  of  his  reason,  and  which  he  can  never 
fully  express,  for  it  is  too  deep  and  too  high  above 
all  human  reason  to  be  explored  and  understood. 

After  this  the  vine-dresser  loves  to  strip  off  the 
leaves,  that  thus  the  sun  may  have  nothing  to  hinder 
its  rays  from  pouring  on  the  grapes.  In  like  manner 
do  all  means  of  grace  fall  away  from  this  man,  such 
as  images  of  the  saints,  teachings,  holy  exercises,  set 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  271 

prayers,  and  the  like.  Yet  let  none  cast  these 
things  aside  before  they  faU  away  of  themselves 
through  divine  grace  $  that  is  to  say,  when  a  man  is 
drawn  up  above  all  that  he  can  comprehend,  then 
do  these  precious  and  divine  fruits  grow  more  sweet 
and  delightful  than  either  sense  or  reason  may 
conceive,  and  it  is  possible  for  him  to  be  carried 
so  far  that  his  spirit  is  as  it  were  sunk  and  lost  in 
the  abyss  of  the  Deity,  and  loses  the  consciousness 
of  all  creature  distinctions.  All  things  are  gathered 
together  in  one  with  the  Divine  sweetness,  and  the 
man's  being  is  so  penetrated  with  the  Divine  sub- 
stance, that  he  loses  himself  therein,  as  a  drop  of 
water  is  lost  in  a  cask  of  strong  wine.  And  thus 
the  man's  spirit  is  so  sunk  in  God  in  divine  union, 
that  he  loses  all  sense  of  distinction  ;  and  all  that 
has  brought  him  to  this  point,  such  as  humility,  the 
seeking  God's  glory, — nay,  his  very  self, — ^loses  its 
name,  and  there  remains  a  secret,  stül  union,  without 
cloud  or  colour.  And  all  good  purposes  are  fused 
into  a  true  and  pure  oneness,  and  a  real  but  silent 
mystery,  such  as  human  powers  can  scarce  appre- 
hend. [Children,  could  we  but  truly  stand  in  this 
holy  of  hohes  for  an  hour  or  a  moment,  it  were  a 
thousand  times  better  and  more  profitable  for  us, 
and  more  pleasing  and  praiseworthy  in  the  sight  of 
the  Eternal  God,  than  forty  years  spent  in  our  own 
self-imposed  tasks.] 

That  we  may  thus  give  place  to  God,  [for  Him  to 
do  His  work  in  us,  and  die  to  all  to  which  we  ought 
to  die,  that  we  may  Hve  truly  and  only  to  that  to 
which  we  ought  to  hve,  if  this  exalted  work  of  God 
is  to  be  accomphshed  in  us  and  through  us,]  may 
He  help  us.    Amen  ! 


X 

Sermon  for  Ash  Wednesday 

Gal.  ii.  19. — "I  am  crucified  with  Christ,  nevertheless  I  live;  yet 
not  I,  but  Christ  hveth  in  me." 

THE  f holy '  Apostle  Paul,' 'whose  endeavours 
towards  a  perfect  life  wereTall  founded 
upon  endurance  and  true  resignation,  shows  us 
in  himself  how  a  righteous,  spiritual  man,  being 
nailed  with  Christ  to  the  cross,  and  whose  sufferings 
bring  forth  in  him  the  Hving  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  now 
no  longer  liveth  through  himself,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  him,  as  is  taught  in  the  words  which  he  writes 
to  the  Galatians,  saying :  "  I  am  crucified  with 
Christ:  nevertheless  I  Uve;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me."  Again  he  continues :  "  The  life 
which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself 
for  me."  In  these  words  we  have  a  wholesome 
admonition  to  strive  after  such  a  life  as  that  Christ 
may  be  glorified  in  us,  and  His  bitter  grief  and 
cross  may  be  manifested  in  our  mortal  body,  to  the 
bettering  of  our  neighbour  and  ourselves.  Where- 
fore we  ought  to  observe  here,  that  though  there  be 
many  kinds  of  cross  and  suffering,  of  which  each  has 
its  own  length,  and  depth,  and  breadth,  and  height, 
yet  there  is  only  one  on  which  our  eternal  redemption 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  273 

was  accomplished  ;  that  is,  the  cross  of  Christ's 
humanity,  which  again  points  us  to  a  still  higher 
cross  (yet,  so  to  speak,  without  cross  and  pain),  of 
His  divine  nature.  So  likewise  there  were  two 
crosses  which  stood  beside  the  cross  of  Christ ;  the 
one  bearing  the  malefactor  on  His  right  hand,  and 
the  other  on  His  left.  From  all  which  we  purpose 
to  gather  some  spiritual  emblems  that  may  help  us  to 
discern  what  sort  of  cross  and  grief  it  is  that  we  are 
bearing,  and  to  which  of  these  three  crosses  it  may  be 
compared.    This  we  may  tell  by  the  following  tokens. 

By  the  cross  of  the  malefactor  on  Christ's  left 
hand  may  be  understood  those  who  have  made  a 
religious  profession,  and  are  hanging  on  the  cross 
of  continual  exercises  and  outward  austerities  which 
they  have  bound  themselves  to  practise  ;  they  have 
well-deserved  this  cross,  but  it  brings  them  no  profit, 
because  they  have  not  died  on  it  to  self-will  and  other 
sinful  failings.  It  is  possible  for  them  after  this 
crucifixion  to  go  down  to  eternal  torment  with  the 
unjust  malefactor  ;  so  that,  to  use  a  common  pro- 
verb, they  drag  the  barrow  here  and  the  waggon 
in  the  world  to  come.  The  height  of  this  cross  is  the 
spiritual  pride  and  self-complacency  which  they  have 
in  the  strictness  of  their  life,  on  account  of  which 
they  set  themselves  up  above  others  ;  for  none  can 
be  good  enough  for  them,  and  they  lay  great  stress 
on  such  austerities,  despising  all  who  do  not  lead 
such  a  life  as  themselves. 

St.  Augustine  said  to  his  brethren :  "  Dear 
brethren,  rather  than  you  should  say  or  think  your- 
selves to  be  different  from  or  better  than  other  men, 
I  would  that  you  should  return  to  the  world.  You 
ought  to  say,  as  Christ  did  by  the  mouth  of  his 
s 


274  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Prophet  David :    '  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man ;    a 
reproach  of  men,  and  despised  of  the  people  ; '  and 
with  the  pubHcan :  'God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.' " 
The  depth  of  this  cross  is  a  type  of  the  depth  of  sin 
into  which  such  men  fall .4  and  that  comes  hence,  that 
their  inward  principle  is  false  through  and  through, 
and  they  have  never  taken  pains  to  look  within  and 
examine  their  evil  unchanged  hearts,  and  amend 
them ;    they  lean  altogether  on  outward  exercises, 
which  at  the  same  time  they  hate,  and  perform  with 
backward  hearts.    They  know  nothing  of  a  union 
with  God,  or  of  His  mysteries  ;   nay,  they  no  more 
reach  after  anything  of  this  kind  by  questioning,  or 
inquiring,  or  seeking,  than  they  think  of  the  Sultan 
over  the  sea,  and  take  no  more  thought  about  it  than 
if  it  in  no  wise  concerned  them.     If  they  hear  talk  of 
divine  things,  they  understand  as  much  of  them  as  a 
German  does  of  Italian.    They  say  their  prayers  and 
read  their  Bibles,  and  perform  their  dry  works  of 
obedience  with  the  outward  man  and  their  senses ; 
and  with  this  they  are  well  satisfied.    Let  God  unite 
Himself  with  whom  He  will,  what  does  that  concern 
them  ?     But  if  it  were  a  question  of  outward  advan- 
tage in  respect  of  gain,  or  honour,  or  other  things 
that  might  be  turned  to  account,  which  any  one  had 
obtained  thereby,  then  we  should  see  whether  it  con- 
cerned them  or  not.     Hence,  in  spite  of  their  pious 
acts,  it  comes  to  this,  that  when  they  are  called  on  to 
renounce  their  own  way  and  will,  they  behave  as  if 
they  were  deaf  or  senseless.    Thus  St.  Augustine 
writes :    "  I  do  not  know  wickeder,  more  utterly 
corrupt  men  than  those  who  fall  away  while  main- 
taining a  reUgious  profession  ;  for  not  seldom  they 
fall  so  deeply  into  sin,  that  they  come  to  err  from 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  275 

the  faith  and  the  things  touching  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  thus  sink  under  the  cross  to  which  they 
are  bound  and  fastened." 

The  width  or  breadth  of  this  cross  is  that  they  go 
the  wide,  broad,  well-trodden  way  that  leadeth  unto 
hell ;  for  they  live  after  the  flesh,  and  therefore  they 
do  not  seek  after  the  sweetness  of  the  spirit ;  for  he 
who  liveth  to  the  flesh  cannot  please  God.  He  who 
will  not  seek  the  narrow  path  that  leadeth  unto 
eternal  life,  must  needs  often  be  delayed  and  lose 
the  way,  by  which  means  he  is  made  too  late  to  find 
the  way  that  leadeth  unto  life.  This  is  the  case 
with  those  who  seek  and  intend  themselves  in  all 
things,  and  are  always  wanting  to  get  some  ease 
and  to  gain  some  indulgence  from  the  Lord,  now 
for  this,  now  for  that  forbidden  thing  ;  in  a  word, 
to  have  nothing  to  bear  is  what  would  suit  them  best. 
For  this  very  reason  they  are  obhged  to  bear  a  heavy 
cross  in  their  conscience  whether  they  like  it  or  no, 
and  have  no  confidence  towards  God  whom  they 
have  set  at  nought,  nor  yet  any  consolation  from 
the  world  which  despises  them.  Ah  !  dear  children, 
what  a  hard  life  and  cross  is  theirs  !  They  would 
fain  be  without  pain,  and  have  the  very  bitterest 
pain  ;  which  will,  moreover,  be  followed  by  eternal 
pain,  unless  they  repent  and  turn  to  God. 

The  length  of  this  cross  is,  that  they  remain  and 
persevere  impenitent  and  without  virtue  unto  the 
end  ;  and  this  comes  from  their  great  ingratitude,  in- 
asmuch as  God  has  bestowed  on  them  such  great 
grace  before  other  worldly  people  who  would  have 
made  better  use  of  it,  and  has  visited  them  in  so 
many  good  influences  and  admonitions,  inward  and 
outward,  as  often  even  to  raise  their  own  wonder  ; 


276  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  for  all  that  they  do  not  turn  from  evil.  Of  these 
says  Paul :  "  For  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  were 
once  enlightened,  and  have  tasted  of  the  heavenly 
gift,  and  were  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  have  tasted  the  good  word  of  God  and  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come,  if  they  shall  fall  away, 
to  renew  them  again  unto  repentance  ;  seeing  they 
crucify  to  themselves  the  Son  of  God  afresh,  and  put 
Him  to  an  open  shame."  And  He  gives  us  a  likeness 
for  them  :  "  For  the  earth  which  drinketh  in  the  rain 
that  cometh  oft  upon  it,  and  bringeth  forth  herbs 
meet  for  them  by  whom  it  is  dressed,  receiveth 
blessing  from  God  :  but  that  which  beareth  thorns 
and  briers  is  rejected,  and  is  nigh  unto  cursing  : 
whose  end  is  to  be  burned."  As  much  as  to  say, 
Of  these  men  who  have  received  great  grace  from 
God,  and  to  whom  He  has  showed  special  tokens 
of  His  secret  favour,  when  they  are  notwithstanding 
obstinately  perverse  and  unfruitful,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
if  they  persevere  in  such  a  course,  that  they  will  fall 
under  the  eternal  curse  of  God.  Therefore  beware 
that  you  be  not  hanged  on  this  cross  of  condemna- 
tion, and  meet  your  last  end  thus. 

The  second  kind  of  cross  is  good,  and  is  that  of  the 
malefactor  on  Christ's  right  hand,  who  had  indeed 
well  deserved  his  punishment,  but  it  became  unto 
him  fruitful  and  profitable.  This  cross  we  may  take 
as  a  type  of  the  hardship  and  sufferings  needful  to 
be  borne  by  those  who  have  turned  with  their  whole 
heart  from  this  world  and  sin  to  a  life  of  repentance  ; 
who  have  indeed  well  deserved  to  suffer  much  for 
their  sins,  because  they  have  wasted  their  time  so 
unprofitably  in  fleshly  and  natural  pleasures,  doing 
their  own  will ;    but  now  they  wish  to  forsake  all 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  277 

these  things  for  God's  sake,  and  on  the  contrary 
to  suffer  whatever  God  shall  appoint  for  them.  To 
these  the  cross  is  not  only  profitable  and  fruitful, 
but  also  consoling,  sweet,  and  lovely.  For  to  them 
it  brings,  as  it  did  to  this  malefactor,  a  strong  faith 
with  a  firm  hope  in  the  unspeakable  love  and  mercy 
of  God.  Ah  !  children,  what  greater  good  could 
befall  this  criminal  hanging  on  the  cross,  in  this 
short  space  of  time,  than  to  hear  those  comfortable 
words  :  "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise."  And  what  can  better 
comfort  these  rightly  disposed  converts  of  whom 
we  are  speaking,  than  for  Christ  to  exclaim  unto 
them  :  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  That  is, 
I  will  receive  you  into  my  favour,  and  help  you  to 
bear  your  burdens,  and  after  a  short  season  of  travail 
most  sweetly  quicken  and  refresh  you. 

The  depth  of  this  cross  is  boundless  humility,  not 
deeming  ourselves  higher  than  other  men,  but  having 
our  eyes  always  open  to  our  own  shortcomings  ; 
like  this  malefactor,  who  acknowledged  that  he  was 
suffering  the  just  reward  of  his  misdeeds.  So  let 
it  be  with  all  these  converts  ;  in  all  their  sorrows 
let  them  remember  that  they  might  justly  have 
suffered  more,  and  that  no  suffering  on  earth  or  in  hell 
would  be  a  sufficient  retribution  for  their  sins.  This 
makes  them  not  to  despise,  nor  judge,  nor  condemn 
any  but  themselves  ;  and  when  they  are  brought 
to  this  point,  then  their  cross  begins  to  blossom  and 
bear  fruit. 

The  height  of  this  cross  is  a  mind  directed  upwards 
to  the  contemplation  of  divine  and  heavenly  things, 
and  a  forsaking  of  outward  things  ;  that  is,  they  shall 


278  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

learn  to  look  upward  toward  eternal  things,  without 
letting  their  eyes  wander  after  earthly  things,  and  fix 
their  looks  on  the  admirable  life  and  walk  of  our  dear 
Lord,  his  sufferings,  his  bitter  death,  his  resurrection, 
ascension,  and  everlasting  reign.  This  makes  a 
man's  suffering  and  cross  light  unto  him,  as  it  did  to 
this  malefactor  when  he  said  :  "  Lord,  remember 
me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom."  Behold, 
dear  children,  how  his  mind  and  thoughts  were  filled 
with  the  eternal  world. 

The  breadth  of  this  cross  signifies  a  hearty,  all- 
embracing  love  to  God,  men,  and  all  creatures  ;  for 
those  who  are  on  this  cross  pray  with  lip  and  heart,^ 
not  alone  for  themselves,  but  also  for  all  men,  even 
for  their  enemies  :  thus  their  prayer  extends  unto 
all,  and  they  are  ever  ready  to  devote  themselves, 
body  and  soul  to  their  fellow-creatures  ;  and  thus 
they  do  what  in  them  lies  to  make  amends  to  God, 
whom  they  have  aforetime  dishonoured  and  pro- 
voked in  his  creatures.  Thus  love,  as  St.  Peter 
saith,  covereth  a  multitude  of  sins  ;  and,  as  Christ 
said  of  Mary  Magdalene :  many  sins  are  forgiven 
her,  for  she  loved  much. 

The  length  of  this  cross  is  perseverance  and  growth 
in  good  works  ;  for  these  men  never  cease  from  their 
kind  and  virtuous  labours,  but  undertake  one  after 
another  with  just  discrimination,  and  give  all 
diligence  to  put  off  their  old  man,  and  to  put  on  a 
new  man  created  after  God  in  righteousness  and 
holiness  of  life.  And  hence  their  inward  man  is 
renewed  day  by  day,  and  groweth  up  amidst  all  their 
sorrow,  pain,  and  temptation,  so  that  they  may  well 
feel  how  truly  Paul  has  said,  that  "  this  light  afflic- 
tion, which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  279 

far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory ; 
while  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but 
at  the  things  which  are  not  seen  :  for  the  things 
which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which 
are  not  seen  are  eternal." 

The  third  cross  is  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  is  a  type 
of  the  perfect  men,  on  whom  their  Heavenly  Father 
has  bestowed  peculiar  glory  and  honour,  and  fellow- 
ship with  His  only  begotten  Son,  in  that  He  sends 
them,  after  a  special  sort,  all  manner  of  contradiction, 
pain,  assaults,  tribulation,  and  crosses  of  every  kind  ; 
and  gives  them  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  which  Christ, 
His  only  begotten  Son,  has  drunk.  As  it  was  with 
the  holy  Apostles  James  and  John,  to  whom  Christ 
said  :  "  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall 
drink  off  ?  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with  ?  "  As  much  as  to  say. 
If  ye  desire  to  be  the  chiefest,  dearest  friends  of  God, 
ye  must,  like  me,  suffer  the  greatest  contradiction 
beforehand  ;  for  the  disciple  is  not  above  his  master. 
If  Christ  must  needs  suffer  and  enter  by  the  cross 
into  the  kingdom  of  His  Father,  without  doubt 
so  must  every  friend  of  God  have  somewhat  likewise 
to  endure. 

The  depth  of  this  cross  is  that  they  have  at  all 
times  a  childlike  fear,  and  allow  God  to  move  them 
as  He  will,  and  keep  a  constant  care  not  to  offend 
God.  Its  height  is  the  well-grounded  hope  which 
they  have  of  eternal  blessedness,  not  founded  on  their 
own  merit  or  good  life,  but  on  a  firm  faith,  in  a 
humble  principle  of  entire  self-surrender  to  the  per- 
fectly holy  will  of  God.  And  this  hope  maketh  not 
ashamed  ;  but,  as  St.  Paul  says,  "  the  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost 


28o  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

which  is  given  unto  them."  The  width  or  breadth 
of  this  cross  is  that  they  love  God  with  their  whole 
hearts,  and  themselves  and  all  men  through  God ; 
and  endeavour  with  all  their  might  "  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace."  They 
shun  all  giving  of  offence  and  scandal,  and  are 
useful  to  aU  and  hurtful  to  none.  And  therefore 
they  suffer  gladly  all  that  befalls  them  in  their  work 
of  love,  that  they  may  bring  many  souls  unto  God. 
The  length  of  their  cross  stretches  out  into  eternity  : 
for  they  are  ready  to  suffer  gladly  all  that  God  shall 
appoint  unto  them  in  time  or  in  eternity  ;  it  is  their 
highest  happiness  to  forward  all  that  God  chooses 
to  do  through  them  ;  however  and  whenever  He  will, 
they  simply  follow  His  leading,  without  murmuring 
or  questioning.  They  are  those  who  are  able  to  say 
in  sincerity  with  Christ :  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done."  Nothing  grieves  them  more  than  that 
they  cannot  utterly  give  up  their  own  will,  by  reason 
of  human  infirmity  and  weakness.  0,  how  blessed 
are  these  men,  and  how  fruitful  is  their  cross,  not 
only  to  themselves,  but  also  to  all  Christendom  ! 

This  cross  leads  and  brings  them  to  the  ineffable 
cross  of  the  divine  nature,  of  which  Paul  was  think- 
ing when  he  prayed  for  his  friends  that  they  might 
"  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the 
breadth  and  length,  and  depth  and  height,  and  to 
know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge, 
that  ye  may  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God." 
The  length  is  His  never-ending  eternity  ;  the  breadth 
His  boundless  goodness  and  mercy,  which  has  been 
shed  abroad,  and  is  yet  poured  out  over  the  whole 
creation  and  mankind;  the  height  is  His  omni- 
potence, and  the  depth  of  His  unfathomable  wisdom. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  281 

Now  he  who  will  reach  up  unto  the  cross  of  Christ's 
divine  nature,  must  first  be  fashioned  into  the  Hke- 
ness  of  His  crucifixion  in  the  flesh.  And  all  those 
who  truly  lead  a  life  in  the  spirit,  such  as  we  have 
described,  are  thus  crucified  with  Christ ;  for  they 
shall  keep  themselves  from  all  the  works  of  the  flesh, 
which  God  hates,  and  shall  have  an  earnest  love 
to  all  righteousness,  so  that  they  are  imited  with 
the  bonds  of  their  soul  unto  His  divine  nature.  They 
shall,  moreover,  be  ever  striving  to  fulfil  God's  will, 
continually  fixing  their  thoughts  on  Him,  and  keep- 
ing themselves  from  all  that  would  be  displeasing 
in  His  sight,  and  thus  be  nailed  with  the  right  foot 
to  the  cross  of  the  divine  nature ;  and  they  shall 
further  learn  to  hold  themselves  between  these  two, 
that  they  be  neither  carried  away  by  imblessed 
happiness,  nor  yet  shrink  from  blessed  unhappiness, 
nor  be  led  astray  between  these  two  ;  and  thus  are 
they  bound  with  the  left  foot  to  tl;ie  cross  of  the  divine 
nature.  Furthermore,  they  shall  have  an  inward 
sympathy  with  God,  for  the  dishonour  that  has  been 
done  Him  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  and  will 
yet  be  done  Him  by  men  in  the  Church  and  in  the 
world  until  the  last  day,  and  for  the  shame  and  dis- 
honour of  His  dearest  friends,  who  have  yielded 
themselves  to  suffer  on  this  cross  with  Christ,  that 
His  divine  glory  may  be  magnified  through  them  ; 
for  God  will  guard  them  as  the  apple  of  His  eye, 
insomuch  that  whoso  entreateth  them  evil  hath  done 
it  imto  God. 

That  we  may  thus  be  nailed  with  Christ  to  the  cross 
of  his  humanity, — that  we  may  be  admitted  to  the 
eternal  beholding  of  the  brightness  of  His  godhead, 
may  the  Almighty  Trinity  grant  and  help  us.   Amen ! 


\ 


XI 

Sermon  for  the  Second  Sunday 
in  Lent 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

Tells  us  how  God  drives  forward  some  of  His  children 
by  the  struggle  between  the  inward  and  outward 
man. 


Matt.  xv.  21-28. — "Jesus  went  thence  and  departed  into  the  coasts 
of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  And,  behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out 
of  the  same  coasts,  and  cried  unto  Him,  saying,  Have  mercy  on 
me,  O  Lord,  thou  Son  of  David  ;  my  daughter  is  grievously  vexed 
with  a  devil.  But  He  answered  her  not  a  word.  And  His  dis- 
ciples came  and  besought  Him,  saying,  Send  her  away,  for  she 
crieth  after  us.  But  He  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent,  but 
unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Then  came  she  and 
worshipped  Him,  saying.  Lord,  help  me.  But  He  answered  and 
said.  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  to  cast  it  to 
dogs.  And  she  said.  Truth,  Lord  ;  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs 
that  fall  from  their  master's  table.  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  her,  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou 
wilt.     And  her  daughter  was  made  whole  from  that  very  hour." 

THE  gospel  for  this  day  points  us  to  a  guiding 
principle  which  is  of  all  others  the  noblest, 
surest,  most  useful  and  most  essential  principle 
that  we  can  have  while  here  on  earth.  For  be 
assured,  that  unless  your  conversion  have  within  it 
this  kernel,  all  your  efforts  to  perform  good  works 
and  to  abstain  from  transgression  will  avail  you 
little  or  nothing. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  283 

Now  let  us  in  the  first  place  consider  these  words  ; 
"  Jesus  went  out  from  thence."  Whence  was  it  that 
He  departed  ?  From  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees. 
Now  give  heed  to  the  principle  herein  contained : 
the  Scribes  were  the  wise  men  who  prided  themselves 
upon  their  knowledge  ;  and  the  Pharisees  were  those 
who  prided  themselves  upon  their  spirituality,  and 
trusted  in  their  religious  practices  and  set  talks. 
These  two  classes  of  men  are  types  of  two  of  the 
most  dangerous  principles  which  can  exist  among 
religious  people  ;  and  those  who  remain  in  their  way 
of  thinking  are  lost,  for  these  two  principles  do  ruin 
the  soul  like  a  worm  at  the  root,  so  that  men  come 
to  nothing.  And  yet  there  are  few  but  what  are  in 
some  measure  under  the  influence  of  one  or  both  of 
them,  though  some  much  more  than  others.  By 
the  Scribes  we  may  understand  men  of  a  reasoning 
turn  of  mind,  who  try  all  things  by  the  light  of  their 
rezLSon,  or  as  they  appear  to  them  through  their 
senses.  They  receive  ideas  by  means  of  their  senses, 
and  then  exercise  upon  them  their  powers  of  re- 
flection that  they  may  attain  to  the  comprehension 
of  high  questions.  And  they  glory  therein,  and  make 
very  lofty  discourses  ;  but  in  the  inward  parts, 
where  pure  truth  should  gush  forth  from  its  fount, 
they  are  empty  and  dry,  yielding  nothing. 

The  second  class  are  the  Pharisees.  These  are 
the  religious  people  who  look  upon  themselves  as  the 
excellent  of  the  earth,  and  think  highly  of  themselves, 
and  take  their  stand  upon  prescribed  customs  and 
ways,  and  regard  these  usages  as  of  more  importance 
than  anything  else,  and  desire  to  be  respected  on  this 
account  and  to  have  praise  of  men  ;  but  their  hearts 
are  full  of  judging  thoughts  of  other  men  who  do  not 


284  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

observe  or  approve  of  their  ways.  From  these  our 
Lord  went  out.  The  Scribes  had  asked  him  to 
pronounce  a  judgment,  saying  :  Why  do  thy  dis- 
ciples transgress  the  good  customs  of  our  fore- 
fathers, by  eating  with  unwashen  hands  ?  And  He 
answered  them  :  Why  do  ye  transgress  the  com- 
mandments of  God  ?  Just  so  do  those  of  the  present 
day  who  regard  their  own  ordinances  and  practices 
of  devotion  as  the  commandments  and  will  of  God, 
and  condemn  and  think  slightingly  of  the  friends  of 
God  who  refuse  to  follow  usages  of  man's  prescribing, 
because  they  are  constrained  to  follow  God's  secret 
motions  in  their  hearts.  In  thus  saying,  we  do  not 
mean  that  open  evil-livers  or  despisers  of  godliness 
are  not  to  be  judged  by  the  congregation,  for  else 
there  would  be  an  end  of  all  ecclesiastical  discipline  ; 
but  let  each  beware  of  this  pharisaical  temper  in 
himself,  looking  to  see  if  any  false  piety  lurk  within 
him  that  has  some  other  origin  or  end  than  God. 
For  Jesus  departs  when  that  is  so,  and  assuredly 
will  not  stay  where  that  exists. 

Thus  we  find  many  people  who  never  look  to  any- 
thing beyond  their  outward  conduct ;  they  perform 
good  works  and  behave  with  decorum,  and  then  think 
they  have  done  all ;  while  their  inward  part  is  alto- 
gether overgrown  and  choked  up  with  the  creature, 
by  which  they  are  held  fast  to  their  great  hurt.  And 
while  in  this  state,  they  pray  much  and  read  their 
Bible.  So  likewise  did  the  blind  Jews,  they  read 
much  in  the  Scriptures  ;  and  yet  God  was  an  utter 
stranger  to  them,  and  hidden  from  them  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  So  it  is  with  this  sort  of  religious  people  : 
they  submit  to  Church  discipline,  they  pray,  they 
fast,  they  watch  ;  and  for  all  this,  God  is  not  really 


TAULER'S    SERMONS  285 

and  truly  the  principle  of  their  life,  but  poor, 
miserable  nature,  toward  which  all  their  love,  and 
striving,  and  aspiration  is  directed,  notwithstanding 
the  abundance  and  the  fervour  of  their  religious 
exercises.  No,  children,  the  eternal  God  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  these  Pharisees  ;  for  they  are  not 
plants  which  our  Heavenly  Father  has  planted,  but 
weeds  which  must  be  plucked  up  by  the  roots,  as 
our  Lord  Himself  has  said  :  "He  who  is  not  with  me 
is  against  me  ;  "  and,  "  He  who  gathereth  not  with 
me,  scattereth."  When  the  time  of  harvest  is  come, 
and  the  eternal  God  will  gather  His  wheat  into 
the  gamer,  these  will  be  found  to  be  the  called 
who  have  not  gathered  with  Him,  and  He  will  not 
know  them  ;  and  where  He  does  not  find  His  plant- 
ing in  the  ground  of  the  heart.  He  will  cast  the  men 
out  into  outer  darkness.  I  have  shown  you  two  false 
principles ;  I  beseech  you,  for  God's  sake,  beware 
of  them,  if  you  would  be  kept  unto  eternal 
life.  For  this  zealous  activity  of  the  natural  man, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Scribes  or  Pharisees,  in 
outward  show  or  prescribed  usages,  prevails  greatly, 
alas  !  at  this  day  among  all  ranks.  Men's  minds  are 
now-a-days  so  subtle  and  quick,  after  the  fashion 
of  these  Scribes  [raising  doubts  and  questions  of 
conscience],  that  a  conscientious  confessor  scarcely 
knows  how  to  direct  their  souls  by  reason  of  their 
subtlety  or  their  scrupulousness.  From  such  men 
Jesus  departed,  as  He  does  still  to  this  day. 

But  whither  did  the  Lord  Jesus  go  ?  He  went 
into  the  land  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  Now  Tyre  signifies 
a  state  of  apprehension,  and  Sidon  signifies  the  state 
of  one  driven  by  the  hunters.  Ah,  children  !  few, 
alas  !  are  willing  to  experience  in  themselves  what  it 


\ 


286  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

is  to  go  thither  ;  and  yet  it  is  a  wondrously  ennobl- 
ing and  profitable  thing  that  these  two  trials  should 
be  laid  upon  a  man  together ;  and  if  under  them 
he  can  act  rightly  and  well,  what  nobleness,  growth 
in  grace,  and  good  fruit  will  be  born  of  this  sharp 
tribulation  !  Now  what  is  this  being  hard  pressed 
by  the  hunters  ?  Nothing  else  but  that  the  inward 
man  would  always  fain  be  with  God  (who  is  his 
proper  resting-place) ;  and  thus  it  ever  drives  the 
outward  man  towards  and  after  God;  but  the 
outward  man  strives  in  the  contrary  direction, 
always  going  outwards  after  lower  things,  where 
indeed  is  his  proper  place  ;  and  thus  there  is  a 
division  in  the  man.  The  inward  man's  own  place  is 
God,  and  towards  this  centre  all  his  desire,  and  free 
will,  and  endeavours  are  turned,  and  he  is  continu- 
ally called  and  drawn  this  way  by  God  his  Lord. 
But  this  is  contrary  to  the  outward  man,  by  his  very 
nature,  which  wars  against  it  every  day  and  hour. 
As  St.  Paul  says  :  "  For  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God 
after  the  inward  man  :  but  I  see  another  law  in  my 
members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and 
bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  which 
is  in  my  members."  Wherefore,  "  the  good  that  I 
would,  I  do  not ;  but  the  evil  which  I  would  not, 
that  I  do."  Thus  the  flesh  and  the  spirit  strive  and 
fight  against  each  other  ;  and  then  cometh  God  from 
above,  and  pursues  after  them  both  with  His  grace. 
And  where  this  is  rightly  and  duly  understood,  it 
stands  well  with  the  man  ;  for  all  who  are  thus  led 
by  God's  spirit,  are  the  children  of  God. 

Now  this  conflict  causes  to  the  man  sharp  and 
bitter  pain  and  tribulation.  But  while  he  is  plunged 
in  the  thick  of  the  strife,  perceiving  nothing  beyond 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  287 

it,  and  destitute  of  consolation,  then  comes  Jesus  and 
enters  in  of  a  surety.  And  to  the  man  who  does  not 
obey  the  strivings  of  God's  spirit,  nor  experience  this 
inward  conflict,  Jesus  does  not  enter  in.  For  all 
those  who  have  never  felt  this  inward  strife,  nor  God's 
hand  heavy  on  their  soul,  and  truly  yielded  to  it  in 
their  hfe,  these  will  never  bring  any  good  to  pass  so 
long  as  they  live.  Moreover,  they  never  come  to 
themselves,  and  therefore  know  nothing  of  all  that 
is  lying  hidden  within  them.  For  many  assaults 
come  upon  us,  both  carnal  and  spiritual,  which  we 
can  best  withstand  by  meeting  them  with  a  spirit 
of  humihty  and  gratitude  ;  and  if  we  await  these 
trials  with  a  cheerful  spirit,  we  may  be  assured  that 
God  will  stand  by  us  with  His  grace.  And  then, 
when  the  world  comes  with  its  raging  storms,  beating 
upon  his  head,  and  the  Devil  with  his  crafty  wiles, 
and  the  man's  own  flesh  and  senses  and  lowest  powers 
are  beset  with  great  weakness  and  passionate  im- 
pulses towards  outward  things,  and  all  this  while 
the  inward  man  is  urged  on  by  God,  and  by  the  thirst 
which  he  by  nature  has  after  God, — then,  indeed, 
there  must  needs  be  within  him  a  bitter  agony  and 
tearing  strife.  And  what  shall  the  poor,  wretched, 
comfortless  man  do,  hunted  and  assailed  as  he  is, 
without  way  or  means  of  escape  ?  He  shall  do  as 
this  poor  woman  did  ;  go  to  Jesus  and  cry  with  a 
loud  voice  of  strong  desire  :  "  O,  Lord,  thou  son 
of  David,  have  mercy  on  me !  "  And  then  from 
the  depths  of  the  struggle  an  impetuous  cry  leaps 
forth ;  and  this  cry  of  the  spirit  flies  over  thousands 
and  thousands  of  miles  with  its  piercing  call : 
it  is  an  infinite  sighing  from  the  fathomless 
abyss.    This  is  something  far  above  nature,  where- 


288  TAULER'S   SERMONS 

unto  the  Holy  Spirit  must  supply  what  is  lacking 
because  of  our  infirmities  :  as  St.  Paul  says  :  *'  The 
Spirit  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered."  And  by  these  means  the 
Holy  Spirit  doth  better  prepare  the  ground  of  the 
heart  than  by  any  other  preparation  on  earth  that 
can  be  imagined.  y 

And  when  a  man  is  thus  hunted  and  plunged  into 
the  bottomless  pit  of  temptation  and  suffering,  and 
then,  amidst  "  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered," 
cries  to  God  with  a  loud  voice,  so  that  the  accents  of 
his  strong  desire  pierce  through  the  heavens ;  and 
yet  God  makes  as  though  He  did  not  hear,  or  would 
not  listen,  O,  how  utterly  must  the  man  yield  up  his 
own  self,  and  suffer  his  wishes  to  melt  into  the  depths 
of  God's  will,  waiting  with  ever  -  strengthening 
patience  upon  God,  till  His  appointed  time  come  to 
visit  him  and  all  creatures !  For,  oh  !  how  im- 
possible were  it  that  the  fount  of  all  mercy  should 
be  sealed  up  !  yet,  when  this  woman  came  crying 
after  Jesus  with  a  loud  voice,  the  stream  from  this, 
fount  of  mercy  was  not  suffered  to  flow  out  unto 
her.  The  disciples  prayed  that  it  might  be  opened  ; 
and  at  last,  with  severe  aspect  and  harsh  words, 
Jesus  answered  them  that  He  was  not  sent  save  to 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  sajäng :  "It 
is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  to  cast 
it  to  the  dogs."  He  not  only  refused  her  the  blessing 
she  sought,  but  did  what  was  much  harder  to  bear, — 
proved  in  clear,  cutting  language  that  it  was  reason- 
able and  just  that  He  should  do  so.  He  not  only 
refused  to  give  her  bread,  which  is  necessary  to  life, 
and  a  com.mon  blessing,  but  denied  her  the  name  of 
a  child,  thus  depriving  her  of  humanity,  and  called 


TAULER'S   SERMONS  289 

her  a  dog.  Could  our  Lord  have  tried  her  by  a 
harder,  sharper  test, — could  He  have  pressed  her 
harder,  or  overwhelmed  her  more  completely  ?  But 
what  does  she  do  in  this  her  distress  and  anguish  ? 
She  takes  it  all  meekly  and  patiently,  and  suffers 
herself  to  be  driven  and  buffeted  as  He  will.  Nay, 
she  sinks  much  lower  than  He  had  plunged  her,  and 
casts  herself  into  the  very  depths  of  humiliation, 
sajnng  :  "  No,  Lord,  not  a  dog,  but  even  less,  one 
of  the  least  of  the  httle  whelps."  But  in  her  self- 
abasement  and  self-annihilation  she  holds  fast  her 
confidence,  and  says :  "  Yet,  O  Lord,  the  little 
whelps  are  wont  to  be  fed  and  satisfied  with  the 
crumbs  that  fall  from  their  master's  table." 

Oh,  how  blessed  and  holy  were  men  who  could 
thus  strike  into  the  very  truth  of  things,  and  see 
themselves  with  the  mind  of  God,  not  through 
figures  of  speech,  or  customary  phrases,  or  as  the 
world  judges.  Neither  God  nor  all  His  creatures 
could  then  abase  and  annihilate  them  so  thoroughly 
as  they  would  abase,  and  accuse,  and  annihilate 
themselves  in  the  sight  of  the  truth !  Blessed 
indeed,  if  then,  notwithstanding  this  wretched 
tumult  of  suffering  and  humiliation,  they  should  be 
constant  in  their  hope  and  confidence  in  the  good- 
ness of  God,  and  abide  therein  without  wavering  ; 
so  that  under  all  these  afflictions  their  desire  and 
earnest  purpose  towards  Him  should  strengthen 
more  and  more,  as  it  was  with  this  woman.  How- 
ever harshly  our  Lord  spoke  to  her,  and  denied  her 
His  acts  of  mercy,  yet  she  never  let  go  her  trust 
in  His  grace.  Therefore  everything  was  granted  to 
her  that  she  had  sought  and  desired  of  the  Lord. 
Dear  children,  this  is  the  right,  true,  godly  way  unto 

T 


290  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

eternal  truth.  Oh  !  this  way  leads  unto  the  truth  ; 
this  alone  leads  straight  to  God  without  a  means. 
And  some  have  not  strength  to  try  the  depth  of  this 
fathomless  annihilation  of  self.  This  was  the  way 
the  woman  of  Canaan  took,  and  she  received  at  last 
the  blessed  answer  :  "  O,  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  ; 
be  it  unto  thee  according  to  thy  will !  " 

Children,  I  tell  you  of  God's  truth,  that  to  every 
man  who  shall  be  found  really  and  truly  thus  walk- 
ing in  this  way,  God  will  assuredly  one  day  declare  : 
"  My  beloved  friend,  whatsoever  thou  choosest  or 
desirest,  it  shall  be  done  unto  thee  according  to 
thy  will ;  forasmuch  as  thou  hast  willingly  given 
up  all  that  was  thine.  Therefore,  thy  will  is 
swallowed  up  in  mine,  and  thou  hast  become  one 
with  me  by  grace,  and  a  partaker  of  my  nature." 
Now  this  becoming  one  with  the  eternal  Goodness 
cannot  come  to,  pass  but  by  an  absolute  renunciation 
of  our  Self,  and  all  that  is  ours,  natural  or  spiritual ; 
for  in  the  same  measure  that  a  man  comes  out  from 
himself,  in  that  measure  does  God  enter  in  with  His 
divine  grace,  and  he  who  loseth  his  life  shall  find  it. 

Children,  I  will  say  no  more  now,  but  tell  you  a 
little  story  that  is  very  apt  to  our  purpose.  I  knew 
a  "  woman  of  Canaan,"  well  deserving  of  the  name. 
What  I  am  about  to  tell  you,  happened  within  these 
four  years,  and  she  is  yet  living.  This  woman  lost 
her  senses,  and  fell  into  a  trance,  and  was  borne  up 
on  high,  till  she  came  into  the  presence  of  God,  and 
beheld  our  Lady  and  all  the  saints.  And  as  she 
looked  upon  this  vision  she  saw  herself  to  be  at  an 
immeasurable  distance  from  God.  Then  her  spirit 
was  seized  with  such  unutterable  woe  that  it  seemed 
as  if  she  must  perish  that  moment  with  the  bitter, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  291 

smarting,  hellish  pain  that  it  gave  her  to  see  herself 
so  far  off  from  God.  (For  know  ye  that  this  is 
the  worst  torment  which  the  souls  in  hell  have  to 
endure,  that  they  know  themselves  to  be  afar  off,  and 
utterly  parted  from  God  and  all  His  elect,  and  know 
that  it  will  last  for  ever,  and  that  they  shall  never  see 
God.)  Now  in  this  unspeakable  distress  she  turned 
to  our  Lady  and  all  the  saints,  and  besought  them  all 
that  they  would  intercede  for  her.  But  then  she 
saw  that  the  blessed  saints  were  so  utterly  lost  in 
the  contemplation  of  God  that  none  of  them  for  a 
moment  listened  to  her  cries  and  appeals.  In  their 
overwhelming  bliss  and  joy  they  never  even  heard 
her  voice.  Then  she  turned  after  a  human  fashion 
to  the  sacred  sorrow  and  bitter  death  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  it  was  answered  her,  why  should 
she  appeal  to  that  to  which  she  had  never  shown 
due  honour  and  reverence  ?  But  when  she  saw 
that  neither  our  Lady,  nor  the  saints,  nor  the  suffer- 
ings of  our  Lord  brought  her  help,  she  turned  herself 
with  all  earnestness  to  God,  and  said  :  "  Ah,  Lord  ! 
since  none  will  come  to  my  help,  behold,  O  beloved 
Lord,  that  I  am  Thy  poor  creature,  and  Thou  art 
my  God  ;  I  fall  down  before  Thy  righteous  sentence, 
according  to  Thy  most  blessed  will ;  and  whether 
Thou  wilt  have  me  to  remain  for  ever  in  this  horrible, 
hellish  torment,  I  leave,  dear  Lord,  altogether  to  Thy 
most  blessed  will."  But  when  she  had  thus  utterly 
surrendered  herself  to  God  for  all  eternity,  that 
moment  she  was  lifted  up  far  away  beyond  all  inter- 
vening things,  and  wafted  into  the  abyss  of  God's 
love.  O  what  a  glorious  abyss  is  that !  This  same 
person  is  still  often  brought  either  into  this  state  of 
mind,  or  carried  into  the  abyss  of  the  divine  love. 


292  TAULER'S   SERMONS 

She  is  a  young  maiden,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  she 
had  never  in  her  life  committed  any  gross  sins,  where- 
with she  had  provoked  God  ;  and  yet  she  needed  thus 
to  suffer.  Children  !  how  great  and  manifold,  then, 
must  be  the  pangs  of  those  who  have  often  and  deeply 
angered  God,  and  withal  are  still  cleaving  while  on 
earth  so  closely  to  the  miserable  creature  delights  ? 
But  this  maiden  resigned  herself  humbly  to  the  will 
of  God,  content  to  bear  an  eternity  of  pain  in  hell, 
if  God  in  His  righteousness  saw  fit  to  condemn  her 
thereunto. 

How  unlike  this  woman  are  those  who  fancy  that 
in  four  or  five  years  they  shall  work  wonders,  and  say 
to  others  :  "Ah,  my  dear  friend,  pray  the  Lord  for 
me  that  I  may  become  one  of  his  dearest  friends." 
Now  know  that,  if  thou  wert  in  the  right  way,  thou 
wouldst  never  think  thyself  worthy  to  become  one  of 
the  least  of  the  friends  of  God  ;  therefore  set  thyself 
humbly  in  the  lowest  place,  as  the  Gospel  teaches, 
and  then  thou  wilt  be  bidden  to  come  up  higher. 
But  those  who  lift  themselves  up,  God  will  assuredly 
cast  down.  Wherefore  beseech  Him  that  His  good 
pleasure  may  be  wrought  in  and  with  thee,  accord- 
ing to  His  ever-blessed  will,  and  so  wilt  thou  find 
thy  dwelling-place  and  rest  in  Him,  and  not  else. 
Children,  on  this  wise  God  entereth  into  the  soul 
immediately,  without  a  veil ;  that  is,  when  a  man 
wholly  renounces  Self — all  that  he  has.  Now,  if  any 
man  while  here  on  earth  should  obtain  one  drop 
of  this  blessing,  and  one  spark  of  this  love  should  be 
kindled  in  his  soul,  he  would  be  more  truly  and  really 
made  fit  for  God's  dwelling,  and  led  farther  into 
the  truth,  than  if  he  were  to  strip  all  the  clothes  off 
his  body  and  give  them  to  the  poor,  or  to  macerate 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  293 

his  flesh  with  penances.  One  moment  in  this  state 
were  more  worth  hving  than  forty  years  spent  in 
doing  and  leaving  undone  what  we  pleased.  More- 
over this  would  be  the  noblest  and  shortest,  and  also 
the  easiest,  of  all  courses  that  reason  can  conceive. 
O  God  !  with  what  things  are  men  taken  up,  while 
they  waste  this  precious,  blessed  season  of  grace, 
and  come  short  of  that  pure,  exalted  good  which 
might  and  ought  unceasingly  to  be  wrought  in  them  ; 
and  so  the  long  years  roll  slowly  by,  and  they  are  as 
one  in  a  sleep,  never  coming  any  farther,  unstirred 
by  God's  grace  ;  and  after  the  many  years  that  they 
have  lived,  they  are  as  far  from  true  perfectness  as 
the  first  day  that  they  set  out.  This  is  indeed  a 
terrible  and  awful  thought  for  all  religious  persons  ; 
for  if  they  knew  the  great  and  perilous  injury  that 
they  do  to  their  souls  with  their  own  devices,  their 
very  marrow  and  blood  would  dry  up  within  their 
body.  Now  let  us  pray  God  that  we  may  thus  sink 
into  the  divine  abyss,  and  fall  down  before  God's 
sentence,  that  we  may  be  also  found  in  Him  like 
this  woman  of  Canaan  !     Amen  ! 


XII 

Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday 
in  Lent 

Of  the  power  of  the  Word  of  God,  of  fiery  desires,  and 
the  essence  of  self-renunciation. 

John  viii.  47. — "  He  who  is  of  God  heareth  the  words  of  God." 

DEAR  children,  ye  ought  not  to  cease  from 
hearing  or  declaring  the  word  of  God  because 
you  do  not  alway  live  according  to  it,  nor  keep 
it  in  mind.  For  inasmuch  as  you  love  it  and 
crave  after  it,  it  will  assuredly  be  given  unto  you  ; 
and  you  shall  enjoy  it  for  ever  with  God,  according 
to  the  measure  of  your  desire  after  it.  There  are 
some  people  who,  when  they  hear  speak  of  high  things 
which  they  do  not  understand,  and  moreover  see 
that  they  have  no  share  in  them,  turn  away  from 
these  things  with  such  aversion,  that  they  do  not 
even  like  to  hear  them  treated  of,  or  that  others 
should  think  about  them  and  seek  after  them.  Yea, 
they  hear  of  high  things,  and  say  :  "  That  is  not  my 
way  of  thinking  ;  I  had  better  not  try  to  put  it  into 
practice,  for  I  should  not  keep  it,  and  then  I  should 
be  just  where  I  was  before."  And  thus  they  turn 
away  themselves  and  others  from  the  truth,  just  as 
if  it  in  no  wise  concerned  them,  and  sit  down  quite 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  295 

contented  with  their  own  ways,  while  yet  they  know 
in  the  bottom  of  their  hearts  that  their  ways  are  not 
the  best  that  might  be.  This  is  an  infallible  token 
that  these  persons  will  never  reach  the  highest  point 
of  which  they  are  capable  ;  nor  will  they  become 
partakers  of  the  highest,  pure,  absolute  goodness, 
unless  indeed  they  come  to  go  through  a  painful 
and  agonizing  struggle  after  it. 

St.  Bernard  has  said :  "  Man,  if  thou  desirest  a 
noble  and  holy  life,  and  unceasingly  pray  est  to  God 
for  it,  if  thou  continue  constant  in  this  thy  desire,  it 
will  be  granted  unto  thee  without  fail,  even  if  only 
in  the  day  or  hour  of  thy  death  ;  and  if  God  should 
not  give  it  thee  then,  thou  shalt  find  it  in  Him  in 
eternity :  of  this  be  assured."  Therefore  do  not 
relinquish  your  desire,  though  it  be  not  fulfilled 
immediately,  or  though  ye  may  swerve  from  your 
aspirations,  or  even  forget  them  for  a  time.  It  were 
a  hard  case  if  this  were  to  cut  you  off  for  ever  from 
the  end  of  your  being.  But  when  ye  hear  the  word 
of  God,  surrender  yourselves  wholly  to  it,  as  if  for 
eternity,  with  a  full  purpose  of  will  to  retain  it  in 
your  mind  and  to  order  your  life  according  to  it ; 
and  let  it  sink  down  right  deep  into  your  heart  as 
into  an  eternity.  If  afterward  it  should  come  to 
pass  that  you  let  it  slip,  and  never  think  of  it  again, 
yet  the  love  and  aspiration  which  once  really  existed 
live  for  ever  before  God,  and  in  Him  ye  shall  find 
the  fruit  thereof  ;  that  is,  to  all  eternity  it  shall  be 
better  for  you  than  if  you  had  never  felt  them. 

What  we  can  do  is  a  small  thing  ;  but  we  can  will 
and  aspire  to  great  things.  Thus,  if  a  man  cannot 
be  great,  he  can  yet  be  good  in  will ;  and  what  he, 
with  his  whole  heart  and  mind,  love  and  desire, 


296  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

wills  to  be,  that  without  doubt  he  most  truly  is.  It  is 
little  we  can  bring  to  pass  ;  but  our  will  and  desire 
may  be  large.  Nay,  they  may  grow  till  they  lose 
themselves  in  the  infinite  abyss  of  God.  Not  that 
we  ought  to  think  within  ourselves  that  we  wish  to  be 
this  or  that,  like  such  a  saint  or  angel,  for  we  ought 
to  be  much  more  than  we  can  conceive  or  fathom : 
wherefore  our  part  is  to  give  ourselves  over  to  God, 
and  leave  ourselves  utterly  in  His  hands,  being  wholly 
His.  And  if  ye  cannot  be  as  entirely  His  as  ye  fain 
would  be,  be  His  as  much  as  ye  may  attain  unto ; 
but  whatever  ye  are,  be  that  truly  and  entirely ; 
and  what  ye  cannot  be,  that  be  contented  not  to  be, 
in  a  sincere  spirit  of  resignation,  for  God's  sake  and 
in  Him.  So  shall  you  peradventure  possess  more 
of  God  in  lacking  than  in  having.  Therefore  be 
God's  ;  yield  to  His  hand,  suffer  Him  to  do  in  thee, 
and  to  thee,  and  with  thee,  what  He  will ;  and  then 
nothing  here  or  hereafter  shall  be  able  to  confound 
you. 

Think  not  that  God  will  be  always  caressing  His 
children,  or  shine  upon  their  head,  or  kindle  their 
hearts,  as  He  does  at  the  first.  He  does  so  only  to 
lure  us  to  Himself,  as  the  falconer  lures  the  falcon 
with  its  gay  hood.  Our  Lord  works  with  His  children 
so  as  to  teach  them  afterwards  to  work  themselves  ; 
as  He  bade  Moses  to  make  the  tables  of  stone  after 
the  pattern  of  the  first  which  He  had  made  Himself. 
Thus,  after  a  time,  God  allows  a  man  to  depend  upon 
himself,  and  no  longer  enlightens,  and  stimulates, 
and  rouses  him.  We  must  stir  up  and  rouse  our- 
selves, and  be  content  to  leave  off  learning,  and 
no  more  enjoy  feeling  and  fire,  and  must  now  serve 
the  Lord  with  strenuous  industry  and  at  our  own 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  297 

cost.  Our  Lord  acts  like  a  prudent  father,  who, 
while  his  children  are  young,  lets  them  live  at  his 
cost,  and  manages  everything  for  them.  What  is 
needful  for  them,  he  provides,  and  lets  them  go  and 
play  ;  and  so  long  as  this  lasts  they  are  at  leisure, 
free  from  care,  happy,  and  generous  at  their  father's 
expense.  Afterwards  he  gives  a  portion  of  his  estate 
into  their  own  hands,  because  he  will  have  them  to 
take  care  of  themselves,  and  earn  their  own  living, 
to  leave  off  childish  play,  and  thus  learn  how  to 
grow  rich.  So  it  is  with  us.  In  the  beginning  of 
a  holy  life,  there  is  nothing  but  brightness,  enjoy- 
ment, and  feeling,  and  God  draws  us  after  Him  with 
His  gifts,  that  we  may  praise  Him  in  the  influencing 
of  our  wills,  and  we  do  all  with  a  good  will,  and  we 
know  and  recognize  therein  God's  will.  But  now  it 
is  very  different ;  now  God  will  have  us  to  give  up 
ourselves  and  our  own  will,  and  to  accept  Him  with 
readiness  in  His  acts  of  severity,  and  in  all  kinds  of 
suffering,  and  in  darkness  of  mind,  whatever  He  may 
do,  and  however  contrary  it  may  be  to  all  our  natural 
wishes.  As  the  Lord  said  to  Peter  :  "  When  thou 
wast  young,  thou  girdest  thyself,  and  walkedst 
whither  thou  wouldest ;  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old, 
thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hand,  and  another  shall 
gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest 
not."  Thus  did  the  Lord  in  our  early  days  go  beside 
us,  drawing  us  onward  by  His  benefits  ;  then  we 
went  whither  we  would,  for  our  will  was  sweetly 
girded  with  the  pleasantness  of  divine  things.  But 
now  it  must  be  otherwise  :  another  shall  gird  us, 
and  lead  us  whither  we  would  not. 

The  Lord  will  draw  us  and  securely  lead  us  to  Him- 
self, in  a  way  contrary  to  all  our  natural  will,  until 


/ 

298  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

He  have  divested  us  thereof,  and  consumed  it  and 
made  it  thoroughly  subject  unto  the  Divine  will. 
For  this  is  His  will :  that  we  should  cease  to  regard 
our  own  wishes  or  dislikes ;  that  it  should  become 
a  light  matter  to  us  whether  He  give  or  take  away, 
whether  we  have  abundance  or  suffer  want,  and  let 
all  things  go,  if  only  we  may  receive  and  apprehend 
God  Himself ;  that  whether  things  please  or  dis- 
please us,  we  may  leave  all  things  to  take  their  course 
and  cleave  to  Him  alone.  Then  first  do  we  attain 
to  the  fulness  of  God's  love  as  His  children,  when 
it  is  no  longer  happiness  or  misery,  prosperity  or 
adversity,  that  draws  us  to  Him,  or  keeps  us  back 
from  Him.  What  we  should  then  experience  none 
can  utter  ;  but  it  would  be  something  far  better  than 
when  we  were  burning  with  the  first  flame  of  love, 
and  had  great  emotion  but  less  true  submission  :  for 
here,  though  there  may  be  less  show  of  zeal,  and  less 
vehemence  of  feeling,  there  is  more  true  faithfulness 
to  God.  That  we  may  attain  thereunto,  may  God 
help  us  with  His  grace.    Amen  ! 


XIII 

Sermon  for  Palm  Sunday 

How  a  man  ought  in  all  His  works  to  regard  God  alone, 
and  purely  to  make  Him  his  end  without  anything 
of  his  own,  and  shall  freely  and  simply  perform 
all  these  works  for  the  glory  of  God  only,  and  not 
seek  his  own,  nor  desire  nor  expect  any  reward. 
Wherewith  he  may  do  such  works  without  any  self- 
appropriation  or  reference  to  time  and  number, 
before  or  after,  and  without  modes.  How  the 
Divine  Word  speaks  and  reveals  itself  in  the  soul, 
all  in  a  lofty  and  subtile  sense. 

Matt.  xxi.  10-17.— "And  when  he  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the 
city  was  moved,  saying,  Who  is  this?  And  the  multitude  said, 
This  is  Jesus,  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth  of  Galilee.  And  Jesus 
went  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that  sold  and 
bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money- 
changers, and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  doves :  And  said  unto 
them.  It  is  written  :  My  house  shall  be  called  the  house  of  prayer  ; 
but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves.  And  the  blind  and  the  lame 
came  to  Him  in  the  temple  ;  and  He  healed  them.  And  when 
the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw  the  wonderful  things  that  He  did, 
and  the  children  crying  in  the  temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David,  they  were  sore  displeased,  and  said  unto  Him, 
nearest  thou  what  these  say  ?  And  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Yea  ; 
have  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings 
Thou  hast  perfected  praise  ?  And  He  left  them,  and  went  out  of 
the  city  into  Bethany  ;  and  He  lodged  there." 

WE  read  in  the  holy  Gospel  how  that  our  Lord 
went  into  the  Temple,  and  drove  out  those 
who  were  buying  and  seUing  therein,  and  said  to 
those  who  sold  doves  :   "  Take  these  things  hence.'* 


300  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Herewith  He  signified  nought  else  but  that  He  would 
have  the  temple  empty  ;  just  as  if  He  had  said  :  "I 
'have  a  right  to  this  temple,  and  will  dwell  there  alone, 
and  have  the  sole  rule  therein."  Now  what  is  this 
temple  of  which  God  is  minded  to  have  possession 
even  by  force,  and  to  rule  according  to  His  own  will  ? 
It  is  the  soul  of  man,  which  He  has  created  and 
fashioned  so  truly  in  His  own  likeness  ;  as  we  read 
that  God  said  :  "  Let  us  make  man  after  our  image." 
And  He  has  done  so  too,  and  made  the  soul  of  man 
so  like  Himself,  that  there  is  nothing  in  heaven  or 
on  earth  so  like  Himself  as  that  is.  For  which  reason 
God  will  have  this  temple  to  be  empty,  that  nothing 
be  there  but  He  alone  ;  and  the  cause  why  this 
temple  pleases  Him  so  well,  is  that  it  is  so  like  Him- 
self, and  He  loveth  to  be  in  it  forasmuch  as  He  is 
there  alone. 

Now  mark,  who  were  the  people  who  were  buying 
and  selling,  and  whom  do  they  represent  at  this  day  ? 
Now  observe,  I  intend  to  speak  only  of  the  good 
people  who  thus  bought  and  sold,  and  yet  whom  our 
Lord  scourged  and  drove  out,  and  do  not  mean  to 
say  anything  to-day  concerning  open  sinners,  who 
knowingly  live  in  the  commission  of  deadly  sins. 
And  the  Lord  does  the  same  now-a-days  to  all  who 
buy  and  sell  in  His  temple,  for  such  He  will  not  suffer 
to  remain  therein.  Behold,  dear  children,  all  those 
are  traders  who  keep  themselves  from  open  sins,  and 
would  fain  be  good  people,  and  do  their  works  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  perform  many  good  works,  such  as 
fasting,  watching,  praying,  and  the  like  ;  yet  do  it 
all  in  order  that  our  Lord  may  give  them,  or  do  for 
them,  something  that  they  wish,  and  thus  they 
seek  themselves  in  all  things.     All  such  are  traders  ; 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  301 

that  is,  to  speak  in  vulgar  language,  they  wish  to 
give  one  thing  in  exchange  for  another,  and  would 
fain  thus  drive  a  traffic  with  our  Lord  ;  and  they  are 
deceived  in  their  bargain,  for  all  that  they  possess 
or  are  able  to  perform  they  have  received  from  God, 
and  consequently  God  does  not  owe  them  anything 
in  return,  nor  is  He  bound  to  do  anything  for  them, 
except,  indeed,  He  would  do  it  of  His  free  bounty. 
What  they  are,  they  are  of  God  ;  and  what  they 
become,  they  have  received  of  God  and  not  from 
themselves  ;  therefore  God  owes  them  nothing  in 
return  for  their  works  and  their  gifts,  unless  He  do  it 
of  His  own  pleasure,  of  His  grace,  and  not  for  the 
sake  of  their  works  and  gifts  ;  for  they  have  nothing 
of  their  own  to  give,  they  do  not  even  do  their  good 
works  of  their  own  power  ;  as  Christ  said  :  "  With- 
out me  ye  can  do  nothing  !  "  Those  who  would  thus 
bargain  with  our  Lord  are  thick-headed  and  ignorant 
men,  who  have  httle  or  no  insight  into  the  truth, 
wherefore  God  scourges  them  and  drives  them  out 
of  the  temple.  Light  and  darkness  cannot  dwell 
together.  God  is  the  Truth  and  Light  in  Himself ; 
when,  therefore.  He  cometh  into  His  temple.  He 
drives  out  of  it  ignorance  and  darkness,  and  reveals 
Himself  with  light  and  truth.  Then  when  the  truth 
is  perceived,  the  buyers  and  sellers  are  gone  ;  and 
the  truth  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  trafficking. 
God  does  not  seek  His  own  ;  all  His  works  are  done 
voluntarily  and  in  singleness  of  purpose  ;  He  does 
them  for  very  love.  So  hkewise  is  it  with  the  man 
who  is  united  with  God  :  his  works  also  are  done 
voluntarily  and  in  singleness  of  mind,  and  he  does 
them  for  love  without  any  wherefore  —  that  Ls. 
without  any  regard  to  himself — to  the  glory  of  God 


302  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

only,  and  seeketh  not  his  own  in  them ;  and  God 
works  them  through  him. 

I  say  further,  so  long  as  a  man  in  any  of  his  works 
is  seeking  or  desiring  anything  that  God  has  to  give, 
or  will  give  hereafter,  he  is  like  these  traffickers. 
But  if  thou  wouldst  be  quite  pure  from  such  a 
mercenary  spirit,  thou  must  do  thy  utmost  in  good 
works  simply  for  the  praise  of  God,  and  shalt  stand 
apart  from  it  all,  as  if  thou  hadst  not  done  it ;  thou 
shalt  ask  nothing  in  return.  If  thou  doest  thy 
works  in  this  spirit,  then  are  they  godly  and  spiritual. 
And  then  the  buyers  and  sellers  are  altogether 
driven  out  of  the  temple,  and  God  alone  dwelleth 
there,  when  thou  purposest  nothing  but  what  God 
purposeth. 

Now  mark,  there  is  yet  a  higher  state  than  that  of 
the  traders,  which  is  indicated  to  us  in  this  Gospel ; 
namely,  that  of  the  men  who  perform  their  works  with 
a  sincerely  good  intent,  and  yet  are  hindered  from 
coming  to  the  closest  union  with  God,  inasmuch  as 
they  still  carry  on  some  traffic  and  converse  with  the 
creatures,  and  are  thus  hke  the  money-changers 
and  those  who  sold  doves,  whose  tables  and  seats 
the  Lord  overthrew.  For  although  this  their 
occupation  was  at  first  begun  by  certain  of  them 
with  a  good  intent,  it  was  an  unseemly  practice, 
and  was  afterwards  turned  to  the  greatest  abuses 
of  covetousness,  rather  than  to  the  service  of  God. 
So  likewise  it  is  with  the  persons  of  whom  I  am 
speaking  ;  for  although  their  intent  is  good,  and 
they  do  their  good  works  sincerely  for  God's 
sake,  and  do  not  seek  their  own  therein,  yet 
nevertheless  they  do  them  with  self-appropriation, 
with  time  and  number,  with  images  and  reference 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  303 

to  before  and  after.  By  these  things  they  are 
hindered  from  coming  to  the  best  and  highest  truth  ; 
for  they  ought  to  keep  themselves  free  and  empty 
of  all  that  is  accidental,  from  pleasure  and  pain,  even 
as  our  Lord  is  free  and  alone,  and  receiveth  Him- 
self ever  afresh,  without  interval  or  time,  from  His 
Heavenly  Father,  and  in  the  same  Now  is  ever 
without  ceasing  begotten  afresh  in  perfectness,  with 
thankful  praise,  into  the  Majesty  of  the  Father,  in 
co-equal  dignity.  In  hke  manner  must  the  man  who 
desireth  to  perceive  the  highest  truth,  and  to  live 
therein  without  before  or  after,  and  without  let  or 
hindrance  from  any  of  the  outward  acts  or  mental 
images  with  which  he  has  ever  been  conversant, 
stand  free  and  alone  in  this  eternal  Now.  He  shall 
simply  receive  the  gift  of  God,  and  bring  it  forth 
again  and  render  it  up  to  God  without  let  or  hin- 
drance, in  His  light,  and  with  thankful  praise 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Thus  he  will  have 
done  with  all  the  doves  and  money-changing  ;  that  is, 
with  all  the  hindrance  and  qualification  which  arises 
from  those  works  which  are  good  in  themselves,  but 
in  which  a  man  seeks  something  of  his  own.  For 
which  cause  also  the  Lord  would  not  suffer  any  to 
carry  vessels  to  and  fro  in  the  temple,  as  St.  Mark 
tells  us  ;  all  which  has  to  do  with  the  same  principle 
— that  a  spiritual  man  must  keep  himself  free  and 
aloof  from  all  objects  that  would  hinder  his  advance 
towards  perfectness. 

Now  when  the  temple  is  thus  cleared  of  all  that 
blocks  it  up,  i.e.  of  all  selfishness  and  ignorance,  it 
shines  forth  in  such  beauty,  and  is  so  bright  and  re- 
splendent above  all  else  that  God  has  created,  that 
nothing  can  outshine  it  save  the  uncreated  God  alone. 


304  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Nothing  even  that  belongs  to  angehe  existence  can 
be  compared  to  this  temple.  The  highest  angels  do 
indeed  in  many  respects  resemble  the  temple  of  a 
noble  soul,  yet  not  wholly,  for  there  is  some  measure, 
a  certain  bound,  set  to  their  similarity  to  it  in  know- 
ledge and  love,  beyond  which  they  cannot  pass ;  but 
the  soul  is  ever  able  to  advance  so  long  as  it  is 
in  time.  For  if  the  soul  of  a  man  yet  living  in  this 
present  state  were  on  a  level  with  the  highest  angel, 
the  man  could  yet,  by  virtue  of  his  free  self- 
determination,  outstrip  the  angel  at  every  successive 
moment,  without  count,  that  is  to  say  without  mode, 
and  above  the  mode  of  the  angels,  and  all  created 
reason,  God  is  alone  free  and  uncreated ;  and  there- 
fore He  alone  is  equal  to  the  soul  as  touching  freedom, 
and  unequal  as  touching  uncreatedness,  for  the  soul  is 
created.  But  when  the  soul  enters  into  the  unmixed 
light,  she,  with  her  created  I,  sinks  so  deeply  into  her 
own  nothingness,  that  she  cannot  by  her  own  power 
regain  the  sense  of  her  separate  existence  as  a  crea- 
ture. But  God  upholds  her  with  His  uncreated  power, 
and  keeps  the  soul  still  herself.  The  soul  has  dared 
to  become  naught ;  and  yet  she  cannot  attain  there- 
unto of  her  own  power,  so  entirely  is  she  lost  until 
God  upholds  her  with  His  power.  It  must  needs 
be  so,  seeing  that,  as  I  said  before,  Jesus  entered 
into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  those  who 
bought  and  sold  therein,  and  began  to  speak  in  the 
temple. 

Now,  dear  children,  know  of  a  truth,  if  any  one 
else  would  fain  speak  in  the  temple,  that  is  in  the  soul, 
except  Jesus  alone,  He  holds  His  peace,  as  if  He  were 
not  there  ;  and  in  truth  He  is  not  at  home  in  the  soul, 
for  she  has  strange  guests  with  whom  she  desireth  to 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  305 

hold  converse.  But  if  Jesus  is  to  speak  in  the  soul, 
she  must  be  alone,  and  must  be  silent  herself  that  she 
may  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  ;  and  then  He  enters  in 
and  begins  to  speak.  What  does  He  speak  ?  He 
speaks  that  He  is.  And  what  is  He  then  ?  He  is 
the  Word  of  the  Father  ;  in  which  Word  the  Father 
utters  Himself,  and  all  the  divine  nature,  and  all  that 
God  is,  so  that,  in  that  He  perceiveth  it.  He  also  is  it, 
and  He  is  perfect  in  His  perception  and  in  His  power. 
Hence  He  is  perfect  through  this  His  speaking,  for 
when  He  uttereth  this  Word,  He  uttereth  Himself 
and  all  things  in  another  person,  and  giveth  that 
person  the  same  nature  which  He  Himself  has,  and 
speaks  all  rational  spirits  into  being  in  that  Word, 
in  the  Hkeness  of  the  same  Word,  according  to  the 
type  or  pattern  which  abideth  continually  in  Him. 
And  thus  the  Word  shines  forth  in  man,  according 
as  each  word  exists  in  God.  Yet  is  he  not  in  all 
respects  like  this  same  essential  Word  ;  but  rather 
the  possibihty  is  granted  to  him  of  receiving  a  certain 
likeness  by  the  grace  of  this  Word,  and  of  receiving 
the  Word  as  it  is  in  itself.  This  all  has  the  Father 
Himself  spoken  through  the  Word,  and  all  that  is  in 
the  Word. 

Here  the  question  might  be  asked.  If  the  Father 
hath  spoken  this,  in  what  sense  doth  Jesus  speak 
in  the  soul  ?  Here  remember,  dear  children,  what  I 
have  said  of  the  manner  of  His  speaking,  namely, 
that  He  revealeth  Himself  and  all  that  the  Father 
hath  uttered  in  Him,  according  to  the  measure  of 
the  soul's  ability  to  receive  it. 

In  the  first  place  He  reveals  the  Father's  sover- 
eignty to  the  soul,  by  declaring  His  changeless, 
infinite  Power.  And  when  through  the  Son  the  soul 
u 


3o6  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

hath  experience  of  this  power,  it  becomes  strong 
and  mighty  in  whatever  happens,  so  that  it  grows 
powerful  and  steadfast  in  all  virtues  and  in  perfect 
singleness  of  mind,  so  that  neither  weal  nor  woe, 
nor  any  or  all  of  the  things  that  God  has  created  in 
time,  have  power  to  stir  him,  for  that  he  has  firm 
and  abiding  footing  in  the  strength  of  God,  against 
which  all  things  are  weak  and  unavailing. 

In  the  second  place,  the  Lord  reveals  Himself  in 
the  soul  with  an  infinite  Wisdom,  which  He  Himself 
is.  In  this  Wisdom  the  Father  perceiveth  Himself, 
with  all  His  Fatherly  sovereignty.  And  that  same 
Word  which  is  also  Wisdom,  and  all  that  it  com- 
prehends, is  all  the  same,  sole  Unity.  When  this 
Wisdom  is  united  with  the  soul,  all  doubt  and  error 
and  darkness  utterly  vanish  away,  and  she  is 
transported  into  a  pure  light,  which  is  God  Himself. 
As  the  prophet  says  :  "  Lord  in  Thy  light  shall  we 
see  light."  That  is  to  say  :  "  Lord  in  Thy  light 
shall  we  perceive  the  light  in  the  soul."  Then  is 
God  perceived  in  the  soul  by  means  of  God.  Then 
does  she,  by  means  of  this  Wisdom,  perceive  herself 
and  all  things,  and  perceiveth  this  Wisdom  itself, 
and  through  it  she  perceiveth  the  Father's  majesty, 
and  His  essential  self-existence  in  simple  oneness, 
without  distinction. 

In  the  third  place,  Christ  reveals  Himself  also 
with  an  infinite  Love,  sweetness  and  richness  flowing 
forth  from  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  overflowing 
and  streaming  in  a  very  flood  of  richness  and  sweet- 
ness into  the  heart  that  is  waiting  to  receive  it ;  and 
with  this  sweetness  He  not  only  reveals  Himself 
to  the  soul,  but  unites  Himself  with  her.  Through 
this  sweetness,  the  soul  in  its  essence  by  grace  flows 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  307 

out  with  power  above  all  creatures  back  into  her 
first  origin  and  fount.  Then  is  the  outward  man 
obedient  unto  the  inward  man,  even  unto  death, 
and  liveth  in  constant  peace  in  the  service  of  God 
continually.  That  the  Lord  may  thus  come  into 
our  souls  also,  overthrowing  and  casting  out  all 
hindrances,  bodily  or  spiritual,  that  we  may  become 
one  here  on  earth,  and  hereafter  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  may  He  help  us  evermore.     Amen. 


XIV 

Sermon  for  Thursday  in  Easter 
Week 

How  we  ought  to  love  God,  and  how  Christ  is  a  Master 
of  the  Eternal  Good,  wherefore  we  ought  to  love 
Him  above  all  things  ;  a  Master  of  the  Highest 
Truth,  wherefore  we  ought  to  contemplate  Him  ; 
and  a  Master  of  the  Highest  Perfectness,  wherefore 
we  ought  to  follow  after  Him  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

John  xx.   i6. — "She  turned  herself  and  said  unto  Him,  Rabboni ; 
which  is  to  say,  Master." 

WHEN  our  Lord  had  risen  from  the  dead, 
Mary  Magdalene  desired  with  her  whole 
heart  to  behold  our  blessed  Lord  ;  and  he  revealed 
Himself  to  her  in  the  form  of  a  gardener,  and  so  she 
did  not  know  Him.  Then  our  Lord  said  unto  her 
"  Mary  ;  "  and  with  that  word  she  knew  Him,  and 
said,  Rabboni !  that  is  to  say.  Master. 

Now  mark,  so  long  as  Mary  stood  by  the  grave 
looking  at  the  angels,  Christ  stood  behind  her,  con- 
cealing Himself  from  her.  For  the  Lord  our  God 
hideth  Himself  from  those  who  are  full  of  care  about 
the  creatures,  and  grieving  over  the  loss  of  earthly 
things  and  creatures  ;  but  as  soon  as  man  turns  from 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  309 

the  creatures  to  find  God,  God  reveals  Himself  unto 
the  soul.  Thus,  when  Mary  turned  to  the  grave  of 
Christ,  it  was  said  unto  her,  "  Mary,"  which  name 
signifies  a  star  of  the  sea,  a  queen  of  the  world,  and 
one  who  is  illuminated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  who 
desireth  to  see  God,  must  be  as  a  star  in  the  firma- 
ment, severed  from  and  spuming  all  the  things  of 
time,  and  illuminated  to  see  all  heavenly  things. 

When  she  heard  the  word  that  Christ  spoke, 
"  Mary,"  she  knew  our  Lord,  and  said,  Rabboni, 
which  is  to  say,  Master  ;  for  she  and  His  other  dis- 
ciples and  followers  commonly  address  Him  with  this 
title,  as  He  says  :  "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord,  and 
ye  say  well,  for  so  I  am."  For  He  is  truly  a  Master 
of  the  Highest  Good,  and  therefore  should  we  love 
Him  above  all  things.  He  is  a  Master  of  Truth, 
and  therefore  should  we  contemplate  Him.  He  is 
a  Master  of  the  Highest  Perfectness,  and  therefore 
should  we  follow  Him  without  any  looking  back- 
wards behind  us. 

He  is  (as  I  said  first)  a  Master  of  the  Highest  Good, 
and  therefore  should  we  love  Him  above  all  things. 
Now,  thou  mightest  say,  "  God  is  infinite,  a  supreme 
Good  without  limits,  and  the  soul  and  all  creatures 
are  finite  and  bounded  ;  how,  then,  can  the  soul  love 
and  know  God  ?  "  Hearken  :  God  is  infinite  and 
without  end,  but  the  soul's  desire  is  an  abyss  which 
cannot  be  filled  except  by  a  Good  which  is  infinite  ; 
and  the  more  ardently  the  soul  longeth  after  God, 
the  more  she  wills  to  long  after  Him  ;  for  God  is  a 
Good  without  drawback,  and  a  well  of  living  water 
without  bottom,  and  the  soul  is  made  in  the  image 
of  God,  and  therefore  it  is  created  to  know  and  love 
God.     So,  because  Christ  is  a  Master  of  the  Highest 


310  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Good,  the  soul  ought  to  love  Him  above  all  things  ; 
for  He  is  love,  and  from  Him  doth  love  flow  into  us, 
as  out  of  a  well  of  life.  The  well  of  life  is  love  ;  and 
he  who  dwelleth  not  in  love  is  dead,  as  St.  John  says 
in  his  Epistle.  Now,  forasmuch  as  Christ  is  a  well- 
spring  and  Master  of  the  Highest  Good,  therefore 
shall  the  soul  love  Him  without  resistance.  For  it  is 
her  property  that  she  must  love  that  which  is  God  ; 
and  therefore  must  she  love  that  which  is  the  Highest 
Good,  without  measure,  without  rival,  and  without 
ceasing  to  utter  forth  His  praise. 

Without  measure  shall  the  soul  love  God  ;  concern- 
ing which  St.  Bernard  says  :  "  The  cause  wherefore 
the  soul  shall  love  God,  is  God  ;  but  the  measure 
of  this  love  is  without  measure,  for  God  is  an  im- 
measurable Good,  because  His  benefits  are  without 
number  or  end  :  wherefore  the  soul  shall  love  God 
without  measure."  Hence  St.  Paul  says  :  "  I  pray 
God  that  your  love  may  increase  and  abound  yet 
more  and  more."  And  St.  Bernard  says  :  "  In  our 
love  to  God  we  have  no  rule  nor  direction  to  observe, 
but  that  we  love  Him  as  He  hath  loved  us.  He 
hath  loved  us  unto  the  end  that  we  might  love  Him 
world  without  end.  Therefore,  our  inward  desire 
ought  ever  to  increase  so  long  as  we  are  here  on 
earth  ;  but  although  the  inward  work  of  our  love  to 
God  ought  ever  to  increase,  yet  the  outward  works 
of  love  ought  to  be  meted  out  with  due  wisdom, 
that  we  so  exercise  ourselves  as  not  to  injure  nature, 
but  to  subdue  it  unto  the  spirit." 

In  the  second  place,  the  soul  shall  love  God  with- 
out a  fellow  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  that  degree  of  love 
with  which  the  soul  loveth  God,  shall  no  creature 
stand  ;  and  all  whom  the  soul  loves,  she  shall  love  in 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  311 

God  and  to  God.  Furthermore,  she  shall  love  the 
creatures  for  God's  sake,  to  God  and  in  God.  She 
loves  them  for  God's  sake,  when  she  loves  them  for 
that  cause  which  is  God  ;  she  loves  them  to  God, 
when  she  loveth  them  for  that  goodness  which  is 
God  ;  she  loves  them  in  God,  when  she  seeks  no  other 
delight  nor  end  in  them  but  God  ;  and  thus  she 
loveth  the  creatures  in  God,  and  God  in  the  creatures. 
Hence  Christ  teUs  us  :  "  Thou  shalt  love  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind," 
which  words  are  thus  expounded  by  St.  Augustine  : 
"  Our  Lord  saith  that  we  are  to  love  God  with  all  our 
heart,  with  all  our  soul,  and  with  all  our  mind,  to 
the  intent  that  man  should  have  no  single  faculty 
within  his  soul  that  is  empty  or  barren  of  the  love 
of  God  ;  that  is,  from  which  the  love  of  God  is 
absent  ;  and  that  all  which  it  comes  into  our  heart 
to  love,  we  may  love  for  God's  sake,  and  enjoy  in 
godly  love ;  for  God  loveth  the  soul,  and  therefore 
shall  the  soul  love  Him  without  a  fellow." 

In  the  third  place,  the  soul  shall  love  God  without 
silence  ;  for  he  who  is  in  love  cannot  be  silent,  but 
must  proclaim  and  utter  forth  his  love.  St.  Gregory 
speaks  of  two  sorts  of  crying  aloud  :  the  one  is  that 
of  the  mouth,  the  other  that  of  the  works.  He  says 
of  the  voice  of  the  deeds,  that  it  is  louder  than  that 
of  the  mouth.  Of  the  latter,  David  says  :  "  I  have 
cried  unto  God  with  my  voice,  and  He  hath  heard 
my  prayer."  Chrysostom  says  :  "  It  is  the  habit 
and  custom  of  loving  souls  that  they  cannot  hide 
their  love,  nor  forbear  to  speak  of  it,  but  they  tell 
it  to  their  familiar  friends,  and  describe  the  inward 
flames  of  love  ;  and  the  faults  which  they  have  com- 
mitted against  God  they  tell  to  those  whom  they 


312  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

love,  and  cannot  keep  silence  about  them,  but  often 
speak  of  them,  that  they  may  obtain  relief  and  re- 
freshment thereby."  The  second  cry  is  that  of  the 
actions, — the  way  in  which  a  man  proves  his  inward 
love  by  his  outward  works.  St.  Gregory  says  the 
witness  of  love  is  the  proof  given  by  the  works  ;  for 
where  love  is,  it  works  great  things  ;  but  if  it  work 
not,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that  it  is  not  there.  Thus  Mary 
Magdalene  had  good  reason  to  exclaim  "  Master  !  " 
for  Christ  is  a  Master  of  all  Good.  Therefore  we 
ought  to  love  Him  ab(^ve  all  things.  And  rightly 
is  He  called  a  Master  of  Love,  for  three  causes  ; 
for  He  rewards  nothing  but  love,  He  rewards  only 
out  of  love,  and  He  rewards  with  love. 

First,  I  say  that  He  rewards  nothing  but  love.  By 
three  things  may  a  man  win  reward  :  by  outward 
acts,  by  inward  contemplation,  and  by  inward  as- 
piration and  love.  The  outward  act  has  no  merit 
unless  it  be  wrought  in  love  ;  for  the  outward  act 
perishes  and  is  over,  and  cannot  merit  that  which  is 
eternal.  For  Paul  says:  "Charity  never  ceases;" 
wherefore  a  man  can  never  win  eternal  life  by  any 
works  except  they  be  done  in  love  ;  and  hence  he 
who  truly  loveth  God  separates  himself  from  all  that 
is  not  God ;  for  he  who  loves  the  uncreated  good, 
despises  the  created. 

In  the  second  place,  I  said  that  God  only  rewards 
out  of  love.  For  from  the  love  wherewith  He  loveth 
man,  He  giveth  Himself,  He  giveth  His  very  self  as 
a  reward.  He  giveth  Himself  wholly,  and  not  in  part ; 
for  God  hath  loved  man  with  an  eternal  love,  and  He 
gives  a  man  nothing  less  than  Himself.  He  said 
to  Abraham  :  "  Fear  not,  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thy 
exceeding  great  reward." 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  313 

In  the  third  place,  He  rewards  a  man  with  love. 
For  this  reward  consists  in  being  able  to  behold  God 
in  His  clearness  without  a  veil,  and  to  enjoy  the 
fruition  of  His  love,  and  keep  it  for  all  eternity. 
Wherefore  it  was  not  without  reason  that  Mary 
exclaimed  "  Master  !  "  And  thou  too,  O  man,  cry 
unto  Him  devoutly  from  the  bottom  of  thy  heart ; 
"  O  Master  of  the  Highest  Good,  and  my  God,  by 
the  love  which  Thou  art,  draw  me  to  Thyself,  I  long 
after  Thy  favour,  and  that  I  may  love  Thee  above 
all  things." 

Now  when  I  began  I  mentioned  two  other  points  : 
first,  how  that  Christ  is  a  Master  of  the  Highest 
Truth,  and  therefore  we  ought  to  contemplate  Him. 
Here  take  note  that  thou  canst  contemplate  God  in 
His  creatures,  which  He  has  made  out  of  nothing, 
whereby  thou  art  able  to  discover  His  omnipotence. 
But  when  thou  seest  and  considerest  how  admirably 
the  creatures  are  fashioned  and  put  together,  and  in 
what  wonderful  order  they  are  arranged,  thou  art 
able  to  perceive  and  trace  the  Wisdom  of  God, 
which  is  ascribed  to  the  Son.  And  when  further 
thou  comest  to  perceive  the  gentleness  of  the 
creatures,  and  how  all  creatures  have  something 
loving  in  them,  then  thou  perceivest  the  loving- 
kindness  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thus  St.  Paul  tells  the 
Romans  that  men  are  able  to  behold  the  invisible 
goodness  of  God  through  the  things  that  they  can 
see  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  creatures  which  He  has  made. 
We  are  also  able  to  perceive  God  by  the  light  of 
grace,  as  the- Prophet  says:  "Lord,  in  Thy  light 
shall  we  see  the  light ;  "  that  is,  God  Himself  ;  for 
"  God  is  light,  and  in  Him  is  no  darkness  anywhere." 
Moreover  we  shall  at  the  last  behold  God  in  the  light 


314  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

of  His  glory,  and  there  shall  we  see  Him  without  a 
veil,  bright  as  He  is  ;  for  He  is  a  Master  of  Truth, 
who  giveth  us  to  know  all  truth.  In  the  third  place, 
Christ  is  a  Master  of  Perfection  ;  wherefore  a  man 
shall  leave  all  things  to  follow  Him,  for  in  God  he 
shall  find  all  things  united  in  one  perfectness  which 
are  scattered  abroad  among  the  creatures.  There- 
fore, O  man,  if  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  be  a  follower  of 
Christ.  He  says :  "  Whoso  will  not  forsake  father 
and  mother,  and  sisters  and  brothers,  and  all  that 
he  hath,  cannot  be  my  disciple."  For  father  and 
mother,  sisters  and  brothers,  and  all  creatures,  are 
a  man's  enemies  if  they  keep  him  back  from  God 
and  hinder  him  from  treading  the  straight  path  to 
eternal  blessedness.  Therefore  forsake  the  creatures, 
and  follow  after  the  Master  of  Perfection,  even  Jesus 
Christ,  blessed  for  ever.  May,  He  grant  us  by  His 
grace  to  do  so  !     Amen. 


XV 

Sermon  for  the  First  Sunday  after 
Easter 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

How  we  are  to  ascend  by  three  stages  to  true  peace  and 
purity  of  heart. 

John  xx.  19. — "  Peace  be  to  you." 

"  "PJEACE  be  with  you,"  said  our  beloved  Lord 
\^  to  His  disciples  after  His  resurrection.  All 
men  by  nature  desire  rest  and  peace,  and  are 
ever  striving  after  it  in  all  their  manifold  actions, 
efforts,  and  labours  ;  and  yet  to  all  eternity  they 
will  never  attain  to  true  peace,  unless  they  seek  it 
where  alone  it  is  to  be  found, — in  God.  What,  then, 
are  the  means  and  ways  to  find  true  peace,  and 
the  purest,  highest,  and  most  perfect  truth  ?  Now 
mark,  I  will  speak  unto  you  in  a  parable.  As  our 
blessed  Lord  drew  His  disciple  St.  John  to  Himself 
in  a  three-fold  manner,  even  so  does  He  now  draw 
all  who  ever  arrive  at  the  deepest  truth. 

The  first  way  in  which  our  Lord  drew  St.  John  to 
Himself  was  when  He  called  him  out  of  the  world 
and  made  him  an  Apostle.  The  second  was  when 
He  suffered  him  to  rest  on  His  bosom  ;  and  the  third 
and  most  perfect  was  on  the  holy  day  of  Pentecost, 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given  unto  him,  and  a  door 
was  opened  unto  him  through  which  he  was  taken 
up  into  heaven. 


3i6  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Thus,  like  St.  John,  is  each  man  first  called  out 
of  the  world,  when  all  his  lower  powers  come  to  be 
governed  by  his  highest  reason,  so  that  he  learns  to 
know  himself  and  to  exercise  his  free  self-guiding 
power  ;  so  that  he  sets  a  watch  over  his  words,  saying 
nothing  to  anyone  which  he  would  not  wish  to  be 
said  to  himself  ; — over  his  impulses,  marking  whether 
they  proceed  from  God  and  tend  towards  Him  ; — 
over  his  thoughts,  that  he  do  not  voluntarily  indulge 
in  any  evil  or  vain  imaginations,  or  that,  if  such 
suggest  themselves,  they  should  be  made  only  an 
incentive  and  stepping-stone  to  better  things  ; — over 
his  works,  that  in  his  undertakings  he  may  have  a 
single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of 
mankind.  On  this  wise  does  the  Lord  call  thee  out 
of  the  world,  and  make  thee  an  apostle  of  Christ 
to  thy  fellow-man,  and  so  thou  learnest  to  convert 
the  outward  into  the  inward  man,  which  is  the  first 
step  in  the  Christian  course. 

Secondly ;  wilt  thou  with  St.  John  rest  on  the 
loving  heart  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thou  must  be 
transformed  into  the  beauteous  image  of  our  Lord  by 
a  constant,  earnest  contemplation  thereof,  consider- 
ing His  holy  meekness  and  humility,  the  deep,  fiery 
love  that  He  bore  to  His  friends  and  His  foes,  and  His 
mighty,  obedient  resignation  which  He  manifested  in 
all  the  paths  wherein  His  Father  called  Him  to  tread. 
Next  call  to  mind  the  boundless  charity  which  He 
showed  to  all  men,  and  also  His  blessed  poverty. 
Heaven  and  earth  were  His,  and  He  called  them  not 
His  own.  In  all  His  words  and  deeds.  He  looked 
only  to  the  glory  of  His  Father  and  the  salvation  of 
mankind.  And  now  ye  must  gaze  much  more  closely 
and  deeply  into  the  glorious  image  of  our  Lord  Jesus 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  317 

Christ  than  I  can  show  you  with  my  outward  teach- 
ing, and  maintain  a  continual,  earnest  effort  and 
aspiration  after  it.  Then  look  attentively  at  thyself, 
how  unlike  thou  art  to  this  image,  and  behold  thy 
own  littleness.  Here  will  thy  Lord  let  thee  rest  on 
Him.  There  is  no  better  and  more  profitable  way  to 
this  end  while  in  our  present  state,  than  to  receive 
worthily  the  sacrament  of  the  body  of  Christ,  and  to 
follow  the  counsel  of  one  on  whom  the  light  of  grace 
has  shone  more  brightly  than  it  has  on  thee.  In  the 
glorious  hkeness  of  Christ  thou  wilt  be  made  rich, 
and  find  all  the  solace  and  sweetness  in  the 
world. 

But  there  are  many  who,  having  advanced  thus  far, 
think  in  their  haste  that  they  have  conquered  for 
their  own  the  ground  on  which  they  stand,  while  yet 
they  are  far  from  the  goal.  Although  St.  John  had 
lain  on  Christ's  bosom,  yet  he  let  his  cloak  fall  and 
fled  when  the  Jews  laid  hands  on  Christ.  Therefore, 
however  holy  may  be  thy  walk  in  these  two  paths, 
look  to  it  that,  if  thou  art  assailed,  thou  do  not  let 
thy  mantle  fall  through  thy  hasty  thought  for  thy- 
self. It  is  good  and  holy  that  thou  shouldst  exercise 
thyself  in  these  two  ways,  and  let  no  creature  turn 
thee  aside  therefrom,  until  God  Himself  draws  thee 
up  into  a  closer  union  with  Himself.  If  He  thus 
draw  thee  up,  then  let  go  all  forms  and  images,  and 
suffer  Him  to  work  as  with  His  instrument.  It  is  more 
well-pleasing  to  Him,  and  more  profitable  to  thee, 
that  thou  shouldst  leave  Him  to  do  as  He  will  in  thee 
for  a  moment,  than  that  thou  shouldst  exercise  thy- 
self in  lower  things  for  a  hundred  years.  Now  some 
may  ask  :  Art  thou  not  yet  got  beyond  all  this  ?  I 
answer  :   No  ;   beyond  the  image  of  our  Lord  Jesus 


3i8  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Christ  may  no  man  come.  Thou  shouldst  ask : 
Art  thou  not  got  beyond  the  ways  and  works  that 
thou  hast  called  thine  own  ?  Look  to  it  diligently 
and  be  quick  to  perceive  the  commands  of  God,  and 
let  each  good  work  be  followed  by  another. 

In  the  third  place,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given 
to  St.  John,  then  was  the  door  of  heaven  opened  unto 
him.  This  happens  to  some  with  a  convulsion  of 
the  mind,  to  others  calmly  and  gradually.  In  it  are 
fulfilled  those  words  of  St.  Paul :  "  Eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him  ;  but  God 
hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  spirit."  Let  no 
man  boast  that  he  is  continually  drawing  nearer  to 
the  highest  perfection  possible  while  here  on  earth, 
unless  the  outward  man  have  been  converted  into 
the  inward  man ;  then,  indeed,  it  is  possible  for  him 
to  be  received  up  on  high,  and  to  behold  the  wonders 
and  riches  of  God.  Believe  me,  children,  one  who 
would  know  much  about  these  high  matters,  would 
^  often  have  to  keep  his  bed,  for  his  bodily  frame  could 
not  support  it.  Further,  know  ye  that  before  that 
can  come  to  pass,  of  which  we  have  here  been  speak- 
ing, nature  must  endure  many  a  death,  outward  and 
inward.  But  to  such  death,  eternal  life  answers. 
Children,  this  is  not  the  work  of  a  day  or  a  year. 
Be  not  discouraged  ;  it  takes  time,  and  requires 
simplicity,  purity,  and  self-surrender,  and  these 
virtues  are  the  shortest  road  to  it.  ^' Through  such 
exercises  as  we  have  described,  a  man  obtains  true 
purity  of  mind  and  body,  such  as  St.  John  possessed 
in  a  high  and  peculiar  manner  ;  what  our  Lord 
meant  when  he  said  :    "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  319 

heart,  for  they  shall  see  God."  A  pure  heart 
is  more  precious  in  the  sight  of  God  than 
aught  else  on  earth.  A  pure  heart  is  a  fair,  fitly- 
adorned  chamber,  the  dwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
a  golden  temple  of  the  Godhead  ;  a  sanctuary  of 
the  only-begotten  Son,  in  which  He  worships  the 
Heavenly  Father  ;  an  altar  of  the  grand,  divine 
sacrifice,  on  which  the  Son  is  daily  offered  to  the 
Heavenly  Father.  A  pure  heart  is  the  throne  of 
the  Supreme  Judge  ;  the  seat  and  secret  chamber  of 
the  Holy  Trinity  ;  a  lamp  bearing  the  Eternal  Light ; 
a  secret  council  -  chamber  of  the  Divine  Persons; 
a  treasury  of  divine  riches  ;  a  storehouse  of  divine 
sweetness  ;  a  '  panoply  of  eternal  wisdom  ;  a  cell 
of  divine  solitude  ;  the  reward  of  all  the  life  and 
sufferings  of  Christ.  A  pure  heart  is  a  tabernacle 
of  the  Holy  Father  ;  a  bride  of  Christ ;  a  friend  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  a  delight  to  the  eyes  of  all  saints  ; 
a  sister  of  the  angels  ;  a  cause  of  joy  to  the  heavenly 
hosts  ;  a  brother  of  all  good  men  ;  a  terror  to  the 
Devil ;  a  victory  and  conquest  over  all  temptation  ; 
a  weapon  against  all  assaults  ;  a  reservoir  of  divine 
benefits  ;  a  treasury  of  all  virtue  ;  an  example  to 
all  men  ;  a  restoration  of  all  that  has  ever  been  lost. 
Now,  what  is  a  pure  heart  ?  It  is,  as  we  have  said 
before,  a  heart  which  finds  its  whole  and  only  satis- 
faction in  God,  which  relishes  and  desires  nothing  but 
God,  whose  thoughts  and  intents  are  ever  occupied 
with  God,  to  which  all  that  is  not  of  God  is  strange 
and  jarring,  which  keeps  itself  as  far  as  possible 
apart  from  all  unworthy  images,  joys,  and  griefs,  and 
all  outward  cares  and  anxieties,  and  makes  all  these 
work  together  for  good ;  for  to  the  pure  all  things 
are  pure,  and  to  the  gentle  is  nothing  bitter.     Amen  ! 


XVI 

Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday 
after  Easter 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

John  xvi.  7-1 1. — *'  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  :  for  if  I  go 
not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart, 
I  will  send  Him  unto  you.  And  when  He  is  come,  He  will  reprove 
the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment :  of  sin, 
because  they  believe  not  on  Me  ;  of  righteousness,  because  I  go  to 
the  Father  and  ye  see  Me  no  more  ;  of  judgment,  because  the 
prince  of  this  world  is  judged."  * 

CHILDREN,  it  behoves  us  to  give  diligent 
heed  to  the  meaning  of  this  passage,  and 
see  how  it  is  that  the  Holy  Ghost  could  not  be 
given  to  the  dear  disciples  and  friends  of  Jesus, 
unless  He  first  went  away  from  them. 

What  is  meant  by  Christ's  going  away  from  us  ? 
Nothing  else  than  our  destitution,  hopelessness,  and 
helplessness,  when  we  are  heavy  and  slow  in  all  good 
things,  and  cold  and  dark  ;  for  then  Christ  is  gone 
from  us.  If  persons  who  are  in  this  state  render  it 
useful  and  fruitful  for  themselves,  this  would  be  a 
truly  noble  thing  for  them  thus  to  master  and  bend 
it ;  and  to  such  an  one  all  variety  will  be  fused  into 
unity,  and  he  will  have  joy  in  sorrow,  and  be  patient 

*  The  greater  part  of  this  and  the  following  sermon  having  been 
translated  by  Archdeacon  Hare,  in  his  Notes  to  "The  Mission  of  the 
Comforter,"  I  obtained  his  kind  permission  to  extract  from  that  work 
the  passages  he  had  given  there. — Tr. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  321 

under  reproach,  in  constant  peace  amid  war  and 
trouble,  and  all  bitterness  will  to  him  become  true 
sweetness. 

Now  our  Lord  said  :  "  When  the  Holy  Ghost 
Cometh,  He  will  reprove  the  world."  What  is  the 
world  which  He  will  reprove,  and  how  will  He 
reprove  it  ?  He  will  enable  man  to  see  clearly 
whether  the  world  is  lying  concealed  within  him, 
hidden  in  the  principle  of  his  being  :  this  he  will 
detect  and  rebuke.  Now  what  is  the  world  in  us  ? 
It  is  the  ways,  the  workings,  the  imaginations  of  the 
world,  the  world's  comfort,  joy,  love,  and  grief,  in 
love,  in  fear,  in  sorrow,  in  care  ;  for  St.  Bernard  says  : 
"  With  all  wherein  thou  rejoicest  and  sorrowest,  thou 
shalt  also  be  judged."  Children,  this  will  the  Holy 
Ghost,  when  He  comes  to  us,  clearly  reveal,  and 
rebuke  us  on  account  thereof,  so  that  we  shall  never 
have  rest  or  quiet,  so  long  as  we  know  and  find  this 
evil  and  noxious  possession  within  us.  And  when 
one  finds  this  evil  inclination  in  a  man,  that  he  is 
possessed  by  any  creature,  be  it  hving  or  dead,  and 
he  remains  unrebuked,  all  this  is  the  world.  And 
when  a  man  keeps  this  in  himself  imrebuked,  this 
is  a  true  and  manifest  sign  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
not  entered  into  the  principle  of  his  life  ;  for  Christ 
has  said  :  When  He  comes,  He  will  rebuke  all  these 
things. 

"  He  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin."  What  is 
sin  ?  Ye  know  well,  dear  children,  that  God  has 
made  all  things,  and  appointed  each  thing  for  its 
right  end.  Thus  He  made  fire  that  it  should  rise 
up,  and  stones  that  they  should  fall  down.  Thus 
nature  has  given  to  the  eye  to  see,  to  the  ears  to  hear, 
to  the  hands  to  work,  and  to  the  feet  to  walk  ;  and 


322  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

thus  each  member  is  obedient  to  the  natural  will, 
without  any  opposition,  whether  the  matter  be 
easy  or  hard,  sweet  or  sour,  if  so  be  that  the  will 
thoroughly  wills  it ;  thus,  too,  the  members  are 
thoroughly  obedient,  even  when  it  is  an  affair  of 
hfe  and  death.  This  appears  often  in  many  lovers 
of  this  world,  how  they  merrily  and  joyfully  cast 
away  all  ease,  and  riches,  and  honour,  for  the  sake 
of  what  they  love,  to  the  end  that  their  carnal  lust 
may  thus  be  satisfied.  Now  sinners  say,  Who  is 
thus  obedient  to  God,  and  thus  exact  in  all  His 
commandments  ?  Which  of  you  dares  thus  to 
resign  for  God's  sake  his  body  and  goods,  and  all 
that  he  likes  or  fears, — nay,  every  thing  save  his 
conscience,  of  which  God  is  the  rightful  Ruler  ? 
Now  this  is  the  sin  which  the  Holy  Ghost  reproves, 
that  man  so  greatly  and  so  often  resists  His  divine 
will  and  admonitions.  This  sin  and  many  hidden 
offences  the  Holy  Ghost  rebukes  when  He  comes  to 
a  man.  This  rebuke  works  a  quick,  sharp,  hard 
judgment  in  a  man,  and  a  hellish  pain,  and  an 
intolerable  woe,  whereof  worldly  men  know  httle. 
When  this  judgment  is  indeed  borne,  the  case  is  safe. 
For  a  thousand  offences  which  a  man  truly  acknow- 
ledges and  confesses  himself  to  be  guilty  of,  are  not 
so  perilous  and  so  mischievous  to  a  man  as  a  single 
offence  which  thou  wilt  not  recognise  nor  allow 
thyself  to  be  convinced  of.  Children,  those  who  are 
so  well  pleased  with  themselves  and  others,  nor  have 
ever  felt  any  anxiety  about  their  sin,  except  to  prove 
that  they  are  in  the  right,  are  very  wrong  ;  they 
are  in  dangerous  sin,  and  wiU  never  come  to  any 
good. 
Next :   the  Holy  Ghost  will  reprove  the  world  of 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  323 

righteousness.  Alas,  merciful  God,  what  a  poor 
miserable  thing  our  righteousness  is  in  the  eyes  of 
God  !  For  St.  Augustine  says  :  Woe  and  woe  to  all 
righteousness,  unless  Almighty  God  judge,  for  He 
has  said  by  the  prophet  Isaiah  :  "  All  your  righteous- 
nesses are  as  filthy  rags  ;  "  and  our  Lord  said  : 
"  When  ye  have  done  all  that  ye  can,  say,  we  are 
unprofitable  servants,  we  have  done  that  which  it 
was  our  duty  to  do."  He  who  thinketh  somewhat 
of  himself  when  he  is  nought,  deceiveth  himself,  as 
St,  John  saith.  Many  a  man  is  so  heartily  well 
pleased  with  his  own  ways,  that  he  will  neither  open 
his  heart  to  God  nor  to  man,  and  keeps  his  eyes 
carefully  shut,  that  he  may  not  let  God  into  his  soul. 
If  our  Lord  comes  to  him  with  his  admonitions, 
directly  or  indirectly,  he  follows  his  own  course,  and 
heeds  them  not  a  straw.  Such  men  are  utterly 
untoward,  both  to  God  Almighty  and  to  all  His 
creatures  :  but  wherever  the  Holy  Ghost  comes, 
he  reproves  these  men's  ways  ;  for  wherever  he  is, 
man  perceives  his  faults  plainly,  and  learns  self- 
renunciation,  humbleness,  and  all  things  that  belong 
to  eternal  life. 

Thirdly  :  the  Holy  Ghost  reproves  man  for  judg- 
ment. What  is  this  judgment  ?  It  means  that 
every  man  passes  judgment  on  his  neighbour,  and 
that  they  have  no  eyes  for  their  own  faults  and  sin, 
although  Christ  has  said  :  "  With  what  measure 
thou  metest,  with  the  same  it  shall  be  measured 
to  thee  again : "  "  Judge  not  that  ye  be  not 
judged."  A  holy  man  has  said  :  "By  as  many 
as  thou  hast  unjustly  condemned,  shalt  thou  be 
judged."  The  people  all  want  to  be  priests  and 
provincials,  that  they  may  have  a  right  to  sit  in 


324  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

judgment,  and  know  not  what  they  are  themselves. 
And  know  that  therewith  ye  build  great  thick  walls 
between  God  and  yourselves.  Children,  beware  of 
judging  any  but  yourselves,  as  ye  love  God  and  your 
souls  and  everlasting  happiness.  A  man  should  judge 
nothing  that  is  not  a  plain  mortal  sin.  I  would 
rather  bite  my  tongue  that  it  bleed,  than  judge  any 
man.  One  should  leave  this  to  the  eternal  judg- 
ment of  God  ;  for  from  man's  judgment  upon  his 
neighbours  there  grows  a  complacency  in  one's  self, 
an  evil  arrogance,  and  a  contempt  for  one's  neigh- 
bour. This  fruit  is  therefore  truly  a  seed  of  the 
Devil,  whereby  many  a  heart  is  defiled,  and  therein 
the  Holy  Ghost  dwelleth  not.  But  where  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  truly  with  His  presence,  He  judges  by  that 
same  man  where  it  is  necessary  ;  and  then  that  man 
waits  for  the  hour  and  occasion  when  it  is  fitting  to 
punish.  This  must  not  be  done  so  that  when  we 
would  heal  one  wound,  we  inflict  two  in  doing  it ; 
not  with  violence,  or  harsh  words,  nor  so  as  to  crush 
a  man  nor  lower  him  in  any  other  man's  heart ;  but 
we  should  do  it  as  from  love  and  gentleness,  and  so  as 
to  preserve  our  own  humility  and  poverty  of  spirit 
which  we  then  bear  within  us  wherever  we  go,  and 
whatever  we  do,  whether  amid  a  congregation  or 
alone.  And  herewith  we  profit  no  one  else  but  our- 
selves in  a  true  simphcity  ;  and  let  all  such  things 
alone  as  do  not  concern  us  and  are  not  committed 
to  us. 

Children,  ye  shall  not  seek  after  great  science. 
Simply  enter  into  your  own  inward  principle,  and 
learn  to  know  what  you  yourselves  are,  spiritually 
and  naturally,  and  do  not  dive  into  the  secret  things 
of  God,  asking  questions  about  the  efflux  and  reflux 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  325 

of  the  Aught  into  the  Naught,  or  the  essence  of  the 
soul's  spark,  for  Christ  has  said  :  "  It  is  not  for  you 
to  know  the  times  or  the  seasons  which  the  Father 
hath  put  in  His  own  power."  Therefore,  let  us 
maintain  a  true,  entire,  simple  faith  in  one  God  in 
a  Trinity  of  Persons,  and  yet  not  as  manifold,  but 
as  one  and  simple.  For  Arius  and  Sabellius,  who 
had  a  wonderful  understanding  of  the  Trinity,  and 
the  wise  Solomon  and  Origen,  who  have  marvellously 
instructed  the  holy  Church,  what  has  become  of 
them  ?  We  know  not.  Wherefore,  look  to  your- 
selves, and  know  that  no  one  is  answerable  for  you 
but  yourselves.  Therefore,  give  heed  to  God  and 
His  will,  and  to  the  calling  wherewith  He  has  called 
you,  that  ye  may  follow  it  in  integrity  and  singleness 
of  heart.  And  if  ye  know  not  what  God's  will  is, 
then  foUow  those  who  have  been  more  enhghtened 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  than  yourselves  ;  and  if  you  have 
not  these  either,  then  go  alone  to  God  :  without 
doubt  He  will  give  you  purely  and  simply  that  which 
you  need,  if  you  continue  instant  in  prayer  for 
it.  If  you  are  not  satisfied  with  this,  then,  in  all 
doubtful  cases,  consider  the  matter  with  sincerity 
and  earnestness,  and  choose  that  course  which 
you  see  to  be  most  bitter  to  nature,  and  to 
which  you  feel  least  inchned.  Do  this  in  the  first 
place,  for  in  each  death  of  nature,  God  becomes 
most  truly  hving  in  you,  and  will  grow  in  you  of  a 
certainty. 

Now,  children,  since  the  Holy  Ghost  could  not  be 
given  unto  the  dear  disciples  unless  Christ  went  away 
from  them,  we  should  in  reason  look  to  see  with 
what  we  are  holding  converse.  Wherefore  forsake 
all  things  for  God,  and  then  God  will  be  truly  given 


326  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

unto  you  in  all  things.  If  you  do  this  in  earnest, 
and  with  your  eyes  constantly  fixed  upon  the  truth, 
you  shall  receive  a  wonderful  reward  of  God,  even 
in  this  present  time.  And  "  when  He,  the  Spirit  of 
Truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all  Truth." 
...  "  And  He  will  show  you  things  to  come." 
Dear  children,  the  Holy  Ghost  will  not  teach  us  all 
things  in  the  sense  that  we  shall  be  given  to  know 
whether  there  will  be  a  good  harvest  or  vintage, 
whether  bread  will  be  dear  or  cheap,  whether  the 
present  war  will  come  to  an  end  soon.  No,  dear 
children  ;  but  He  will  teach  us  all  things  which  we 
can  need  for  a  perfect  life,  and  for  a  knowledge  of 
the  hidden  truth  of  God,  of  the  bondage  of  nature, 
of  the  deceitfulness  of  the  world,  and  of  the  cunning 
of  evil  spirits.  Children,  walk  in  the  ways  of  God 
diligently,  earnestly,  and  circumspectly  ;  and  give 
heed  to  the  calhng  in  which  God  by  His  mercy  hath 
called  you,  and  follow  it  faithfully.  Do  not,  as  some 
do,  who,  when  God  will  have  them  to  mind  the  affairs 
of  their  soul,  attend  to  outward  things ;  and  when 
God  summons  them  to  outward  duties,  want  to 
turn  their  thoughts  inwards.  This  is  a  hard,  poor, 
perverse  course. 

Thus  when  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  us.  He  teaches 
us  all  truth  ;  that  is,  He  shows  us  a  true  picture 
of  our  failings,  and  confounds  us  in  ourselves,  and 
teaches  us  how  we  shall  live  singly  and  purely  for 
the  truth,  and  teaches  us  to  sink  humbly  into  a  deep 
humility,  and  to  cast  ourselves  utterly  down  beneath 
God  and  beneath  every  creature.  This  is  a  true  art 
in  which  all  art  and  wisdom  is  concluded,  and  which 
we  indispensably  need  for  our  true  perfection  and 
fehcity.     This  is  a  true,  hearty  humihty,  without  any 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  327 

pretence,  and  not  in  word  or  outward  show,  but 
of  a  truth  wrought  into  the  substance  of  our  souls, 
May  God  help  us  at  all  times  to  be  thus  prepared 
for  the  Holy  Ghost  to  come  and  enter  in  to  us ! 
Amen. 


XVII 

Second  Sermon  for  Fourth 
Sunday  after  Easter 

Of  three  hindrances  which  resist  the  coming  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  three  classes  of  men. 

John  xvi,  7. — "It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away:  for  if  I  go 
not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you." 

OBSERVE,  dear  children,  how  high  and  in 
what  way  man  must  be  carried  up  to  reach 
the  state  of  his  highest  blessedness  ;  for  this  can 
only  be  through  a  real  abandonment  of  those  things 
which  are  especially  pleasant  and  lovely  to  him  and 
his  nature.  To  all  these  he  must  whoUy  die,  and 
must  let  them  go,  however  good,  and  holy,  and 
spiritual,  and  precious  he  may  deem  them.  For  if 
it  was  necessary  that  Christ's  disciples  should  be 
deprived  of  His  lovely,  holy,  gracious  hmnanity,  to 
be  fitted  for  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost,  no  man,  it  is 
certain,  can  be  a  recipient  of  Divine  grace  whose 
heart  is  possest  by  any  creature. 

Now  we  find  three  sorts  of  hindrances  in  three 
different  classes  of  men.  The  first  are  sinful  persons, 
or  open  sinners,  who  are  hindered  by  the  creature, 
in  that  they  make  use  thereof  against  God,  according 
to  their  own  will.  These  people  go  astray  in  God's 
way.     David  says,  "  Cursed  are  they  who  err  in 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  329 

God's  way,"  that  is,  in  the  creature.  There  are  also 
sundry  good  folks,  who  spend  too  much  care  upon 
the  necessaries  of  this  hfe,  or  look  too  much  for 
pleasure  to  outward  things.  Against  these  Christ 
says,  "  He  who  loves  his  hfe  shall  lose  it ;  "  that 
is,  carnal  love  ;  he  who  holds  this  too  dear  loses  his 
life  ;  "  and  he  who  hates  his  hfe  shall  receive  ever- 
lasting hfe  ;  "  that  is,  they  who  resist  their  dis- 
orderly lusts  and  desires,  and  do  not  follow  them. 

The  second  hindrance  is  when  good  people  are  kept 
back  in  true  spirituality  through  the  misuse  of  the 
seven  sacraments.  He  who  dwells  with  pleasure  on 
the  sign  of  a  holy  sacrament,  does  not  get  to  the 
inward  truth  ;  for  the  sacraments  all  lead  to  the  pure 
truth.  Marriage  is  a  sign  of  the  union  of  the  Divine 
and  human  natures,  and  also  of  the  union  of  the  soul 
with  God  :  but  he  who  would  stop  at  the  sign  alone 
is  hindered  by  his  outward  senses  from  reaching  the 
eternal  truth  ;  for  this  is  not  a  true  marriage.  There 
are  also  some  who  make  too  much  of  repentance  and 
confession,  and  cleave  to  the  sign,  and  do  not  strive 
to  reach  the  pure  truth.  Against  these  Christ  says, 
*'  He  who  is  washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his 
feet ;  "  that  is,  he  who  has  once  been  washed  with 
a  hearty  repentance  and  sincere  confession  needs 
nothing  more  than  that  he  confess  his  daily  sins, 
and  not  his  old  sins,  which  he  has  already  repented 
of  and  confest ;  but  he  must  wash  his  feet — that  is, 
his  desires  and  conscience  ;  these  he  must  purify 
from  his  daily  sins.  Moreover  many  good  men, 
by  spending  too  much  anxiety  on  outward  gestures 
towards  the  sacred  Body  of  our  Lord,  hinder  them- 
selves in  divers  ways,  so  that  they  cannot  receive 
Him  spiritually,  and  enter  inwardly  into  the  truth  ; 


330  TAULER^S  SERMONS 

for  this  is  a  desire  after  a  real  union,  and  not  in 
appearance  merely.  Hence  they  do  not  receive  the 
sacrament  worthily  ;  for  all  sacraments  are  the  sign 
of  spiritual  truth. 

Here  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  we  ought  to 
worship  God  in  all  places  and  at  aU  times.  He  who 
will  worship  the  Father  must  concentrate  his  whole 
mind  in  aspiration  and  faith.  These  are  the  highest 
powers  of  the  soul ;  for  they  are  above  time,  and 
know  nothing  of  time  nor  of  the  body.  So  St.  Paul 
tells  us,  "  that  we  ought  to  rejoice  evermore,  pray 
without  ceasing,  and  in  everything  give  thanks." 
Now,  those  pray  without  ceasing  who  do  all  their 
works  alike  for  the  love  of  God,  and  not  for  any 
selfish  enjojnnent,  and  humbly  bow  down  before 
God,  and  let  Him  work  alone.  When  the  highest 
powers  of  the  soul  are  thus  gathered  together  in 
prayer,  the  soul  becomes  inspired,  and  if  hence- 
forward the  spirit  cleave  unto  God  with  an  entire 
union  of  the  will,  it  is  "  made  a  partaker  of  the 
Divine  nature,"  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  does 
the  man  offer  up  true  worship,  for  he  has  attained 
the  end  for  which  he  was  created. 

But  there  are  some,  ay,  many  people,  who  do 
not  rightly  worship  the  Father  in  the  truth.  For  so 
soon  as  a  man  prays  to  God  for  any  creature,  he 
prays  for  his  own  harm  ;  for  since  a  creature  is  a 
creature,  it  bears  its  own  bitterness  and  disquiet, 
pain  and  evil,  about  it :  therefore  such  people  meet 
their  deserts  when  they  have  trouble  and  bitterness, 
for  they  have  prayed  for  it.  He  who  seeks  God,  if 
he  seeks  anything  beside  God,  will  not  find  Him  ; 
but  he  who  seeks  God  alone  in  the  truth,  will  find 
Him,  and  all  that  God  can  give,  with  Him. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  33i 

Again,  many  good  people  hinder  themselves  in 
their  perfection  by  this,  that  they  look  solely  to  the 
humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  they 
give  themselves  too  much  to  visions  :  that  is  to  say, 
that  they  are  too  fond  of  contemplating  the  images 
of  outward  things  in  their  minds,  whether  it  be 
angels  or  men,  or  the  humanity  of  Christ,  and  believe 
what  they  are  told  when  they  hear  that  they  are 
specially  favoured,  or  of  other  men's  faults  or  virtues, 
or  hear  that  God  purposes  to  do  something  by  their 
means.  Herein  they  are  often  deceived,  for  God 
never  does  anything  through  any  creature,  but  only 
through  His  own  pure  goodness.  And  He  even 
said  to  His  disciples,  "  It  is  good  for  you  that  I  go 
away ;  "  forasmuch  as  to  them  that  wish  to  be  His 
disciples  in  high  perfection,  His  humanity  is  a  hin- 
drance if  they  fix  upon  it,  and  cleave  unto  it  with 
especial  dehght ;  for  they  ought  to  follow  God  in 
all  His  ways  ;  therefore  His  humanity  should  lead 
them  onward  to  His  Deity.  For  Christ  said,  "  I 
am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  :  no 
man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  Me."  Greatly 
then  do  they  err  who  suppose  that  they  can  do  any- 
thing good  of  themselves  ;  for  Christ  says  that  of 
Himself  He  did  nothing. 

Christ's  true  humanity  we  are  to  worship  only  in 
its  union  with  His  Deity  ;  for  the  man  Christ  is  truly 
God,  and  God  is  truly  Man.  Therefore  we  are  not 
to  trouble  ourselves  about  any  creature,  but  solely 
to  seek  God,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  our  only 
Way  to  the  Father.  Now  even  if  we  come  into  the 
Way  of  truth,  which  is  Christ,  yet  we  are  not  per- 
fectly blessed,  although  we  behold  the  Truth  of  God  : 
for  while  we  are  beholding,  we  are  not  one  with  that 


332  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

which  we  behold  ;  so  long  as  there  is  anything  in  our 
perceptions  or  understanding,  we  are  not  one  with 
the  One ;  for  where  there  is  nothing  but  One,  we  can 
see  nothing  but  One  :  for  we  cannot  see  God  except 
in  bhndness,  or  know  Him  except  in  ignorance. 
St.  Augustine  says  that  no  soul  can  come  to  God 
unless  it  go  to  God  without  a  creature,  and  taste 
Him  without  a  likeness.  Therefore,  because  the 
soul  is  a  creature,  it  must  cast  itself  out  of  itself, 
and  in  its  hour  of  contemplation  must  cast  out 
all  saints  and  angels  ;  for  these  are  all  creatures, 
and  hinder  the  soul  in  its  union  with  God.  For  it 
should  be  bare  of  all  things,  without  need  of  any- 
thing, and  then  it  can  come  to  God  in  His  likeness  ; 
for  nothing  unites  so  much  as  hkeness,  and  receives 
its  colour  so  soon  ;  for  God  will  then  give  Himself 
to  the  faculties  of  the  soul,  so  that  the  soul  grows 
in  the  hkeness  of  God  and  takes  His  colour.  The 
image  lies  in  the  soiil's  powers,  the  hkeness  in  its 
virtues,  the  Divine  colour  in  its  union ;  and  thus 
its  union  becomes  so  intimate  that  it  does  not  work 
its  works  in  the  form  of  a  creature,  but  in  its  divine 
form,  wherein  it  is  united  to  God ;  nay,  that  its 
works  are  taken  from  it,  and  God  works  all  its 
works  in  His  form.  And  then,  while  it  beholds 
God,  and  thus  becomes  more  united  with  Him,  the 
union  may  become  such,  that  God  altogether  pours 
Himself  into  it,  and  draws  it  so  entirely  into  Him- 
self that  it  no  longer  has  any  distinct  perception  of 
virtue  or  vice,  or  recognises  any  marks  by  which  it 
knows  what  it  is  itself.  But  God  regards  the  soul 
as  a  creature.  Therefore  let  the  hght  of  grace  over- 
power the  hght  of  nature  in  you  ;  for  the  higher 
knowledge  the  soul  attains  in  the  hght  of  grace,  the 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  333 

darker  does  it  deem  the  light  of  nature.  If,  then, 
it  would  know  the  real  truth,  it  should  observe 
whether  it  is  drawn  away  from  all  things,  whether 
it  has  lost  itself,  whether  it  loves  God  with  His  love, 
whether  it  be  not  hindered  by  any  things,  and 
whether  God  alone  lives  in  it :  if  so,  it  has  lost  itself, 
as  Mary  lost  Jesus,  when  He  went  into  the  school  of 
His  Father's  highest  doctrine  ;  therefore  He  heeded 
not  His  mother.  Thus  it  happens  to  the  noblest 
soul  that  goes  into  God's  school ;  there  it  learns  to 
know  what  God  is,  in  His  Deity  and  in  the  Trinity, 
and  what  He  is  in  His  humanity,  and  to  know  the  all- 
gracious  Will  of  God.  That  man  is  most  truly  of  God 
who  works  all  his  works  out  of  love,  and  gives  up 
his  will  to  the  will  of  his  Heavenly  Father. 

That  we  may  attain  thereunto,  being  delivered 
from  all  hindrances,  may  God  grant  us.     Amen  ! 


XVIII 

Sermon  for  Ascension  Day 

This  third  sermon  on  the  Ascension  tells  us  how  man 
ought  continually  to  follow  after  Christ,  as  He  has 
walked  before  us  for  three  and  thirty  years,  passing 
through  manifold  and  great  sufferings,  before  He 
returned  unto  His  Father. 

Mark  xvi.  19. — "  So  then  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them,  He 
was  received  up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God. " 

AFTER  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ,  had 
eaten  with  His  disciples  upon  the  Mount  of 
OHves,  and  reproved  them,  that  they  had  been  so  long 
time  with  Him  and  yet  were  so  slow  of  heart  to  be- 
lieve. He  was  taken  up  into  heaven  before  their  face. 
Ah,  children  !  how  do  you  think  it  stood  then  with 
the  hearts  of  the  disciples,  who  regarded  Him  with 
such  a  strange  love  ?  For  it  was  not  unreasonable 
that  they  should  be  filled  with  a  restless,  sorrowful 
yearning  to  follow  after  Him  ;  for  where  your  treasure 
is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also.  By  His  glorious 
ascension,  willeth  Jesus  Christ  to  draw  after  Him  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  all  His  elect  Friends,  and  all 
their  powers,  inward  and  outward,  that  we  may  not 
henceforward  have  our  dweUing  with  contentment 
and  satisfaction  among  the  things  of  time  ;  but  that 
all  our  walk  and  conversation,  pleasure  and  satis- 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  335 

faction,  may  be  in  heaven,  and  nowhere  else,  where 
God  dwelleth  not.  It  cannot  be  otherwise  but  that 
the  members  should  follow  their  Head,  Who,  as  on 
this  day,  has  ascended  into  heaven,  and  has  gone 
before  us  in  all  humility  to  prepare  a  place  for  those 
who  shall  come  after  Him  ;  therefore  should  we  say 
with  the  Bride,  in  the  Song  of  Songs  :  "  Draw  me, 
and  I  will  come  after  Thee,"  blessed  Lord.  And 
who  can  hinder  us  from  following  evermore  after 
our  Head,  Jesus  Christ  ?  For  He  Himself  has  said  : 
"  I  ascend  to  my  Father  and  your  Father."  His 
origin,  His  end,  His  blessedness  and  our  blessedness, 
is  truly  a  blessedness  in  Him,  for  we,  with  all  that 
we  are,  have  proceeded  forth  from  the  same  source, 
and  therefore  we  are  partakers  of  the  same  End,  and 
destined  to  fall  into  the  same  Ocean  (if  we  for  our 
parts  will  only  dispose  ourselves  accordingly). 

Now  let  us  meditate  how  Christ  has  gone  before 
us  into  the  glory  of  His  heavenly  Father.  Therefore, 
if  we  desire  to  follow  Him,  we  must  mark  the  way 
which  He  has  shown  us  and  trodden  for  three  and 
thirty  years,  in  misery,  in  poverty,  in  shame,  and 
in  bitterness,  even  unto  death.  So  likewise,  to  this 
day,  must  we  follow  in  the  same  path,  if  we  would 
fain  enter  with  Him  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
For  though  all  our  masters  were  dead,  and  all  our 
books  burned,  yet  we  should  ever  find  instruction 
enough  in  His  holy  life.  For  He  Himself  is  the  Way, 
the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  and  by  no  other  way  can  we 
truly  and  undeviatingly  advance  towards  the  same 
consummation,  than  in  that  which  He  hath  walked 
as  our  Exemplar  while  He  was  yet  upon  earth. 

Now,  as  the  loadstone  draws  the  iron  after  itself, 
so  doth  Christ  draw  all  hearts  after  Himself  which 


336  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

have  once  been  touched  by  Him  ;  and  as  when  the 
iron  is  impregnated  with  the  energy  of  the  load- 
stone that  has  touched  it,  it  follows  the  stone  uphill 
although  that  is  contrary  to  its  nature,  and  cannot 
rest  in  its  own  proper  place,  but  strives  to  rise  above 
itself  on'  high  ;  so  all  the  souls  which  have  been 
touched  by  this  loadstone,  Christ,  can  neither  be 
chained  down  by  joy  or  grief,  but  are  ever  rising  up 
to  God  out  of  themselves.  They  forget  their  own 
nature,  and  follow  after  the  touch  of  God,  and  follow 
it  the  more  easily  and  directly,  the  more  noble  is 
their  nature  than  that  of  other  men,  and  the  more 
they  are  touched  by  God's  finger. 

Now  let  each  one  mark  for  himself,  whether  his 
soul  has  been  touched  by  God  or  not.  Those  who 
have  not  been  touched  by  God  often  begin  many  ex- 
cellent undertakings  from  which  we  might  expect  that 
great  things  would  come  to  pass  ;  but  if  we  watch 
them  for  a  time,  behold  it  all  comes  to  nothing  ; 
for  they  soon  fall  back  again,  and  they  plunge  once 
more  into  all  their  old  customs,  and  give  themselves 
up  to  their  natural  inclinations.  They  do  just  as 
the  untrained  dogs  in  the  chase,  which  have  no 
perception  of  the  noble  quarry,  but  ^un  with  all 
speed  after  the  good  dogs  of  nobler  breed.  And 
verily,  if  they  kept  on  running,  they  would  with  them 
bring  down  the  stag.  But  no  ;  in  the  space  of  some 
short  hour  or  so,  they  look  about  them,  and  lose 
sight  of  their  companions,  or  they  stand  still  with 
their  nose  in  the  earth,  and  let  the  others  get  ahead 
of  them,  and  so  they  are  left  behind.  But  the  dogs 
of  noble  breed,  who  have  come  upon  the  scent  of 
this  noble  quarry,  eagerly  pursue  after  it,  through 
fire  and  water,  through  brake  and  bush,  till  they 


TAULER'S   SERMONS  337 

have  brought  down  their  game.  So  do  those  noble- 
minded  men,  who  have  caught  a  ghmpse  of  the 
Highest  Good  ;  they  never  slacken  step  tül  they  have 
come  up  with  it.  Now  the  other  sort  of  men  remain 
at  the  same  point,  and  make  no  progress  in  their 
whole  life  :  but  ail  such  as  stand  still  while  they  are 
in  this  state,  and  make  no  progress  before  death, 
must  stand  still  for  ever  hereafter  ;  so  long  as  God 
is  eternal. 

Children,  if  our  souls  have  not  been  touched  by 
God's  finger,  we  have  no  right  to  lay  the  cause  of  it 
to  the  charge  of  the  Eternal  God,  as  men  often  do 
when  they  say.  figuratively  :  "  God  does  not  touch 
me.  nor  move  me,  as  He  does  such  and  such  an  one.'' 
This  assertion  is  false.  God  touches,  impels,  and 
admonishes  ail  men  alike,  and  (so  far  as  it  rests  with 
Him)  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved  ;  but  His  touch, 
His  admonitions  and  His  gifts,  find  a  difiterent 
reception  and  response  in  difierent  men.  With  many 
when  God  comes  to  them  with  His  touch  and  His 
graaous  gifts.  He  finds  the  chambers  of  their  soul 
occupied  and  denied  by  other  guests.  So  then,  He 
must  needs  go  His  way,  and  cannot  come  into  us, 
for  we  are  lo\-ing  and  ser%-ing  some  one  else.  There- 
fore. His  gifts,  which  He  ofi'ers  without  ceasing 
to  ever\-  man.  remain  unaccepted.  This  is  the  cause 
of  our  eternal  loss  :  the  guilt  is  ours,  and  not  God's, 
How  much  useless  trouble  do  we  create  for  ourselves  ; 
insomuch  that  we  neither  perceive  our  own  condition 
nor  God's  preseiKe,  and  thereby  do  ourselves  an 
xmspeakable  and  eternal  mischief.  .Xgainst  this, 
there  is  no  better  or  sar»*  remedy  than  an  instant, 
resolute  turning  away  of  the  thought,  and  heart>', 
fervent,  continual  prayer.  Hereby  we  may  obtain 
Y 


338  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

this  steadfastness,  together  with  a  firm,  and  entire, 
and  loving  trust  in  the  unfathomable  mercy  of  God, 
in  which  lies  all  our  salvation,  and  likewise  a  diligent 
and  faithful  watchfulness,  to  keep  our  goings  ever 
in  accordance  with  the  will  of  God,  that  all  we  do  or 
abstain  from,  and  all  our  affections,  spiritual  and 
natural,  may  remain  at  all  times  agreeable  to  the 
will  of  God. 

Children,  the  place  from  which  Christ  ascended  up 
to  heaven  was  the  Mount  of  Ohves.  This  mountain 
had  three  sorts  of  light.  The  first  was  from  the  sun- 
rise, for  the  hill  is  high  and  slopes  towards  the  East ; 
and  when  the  sun  no  longer  shone  on  the  mountain, 
its  rays  were  reflected  from  the  golden  roof  of  the 
temple  ;  and,  thirdly,  on  that  hill  grew  the  essential 
material  of  light,  the  ohve-tree.  So  likewise  the  soul 
in  which  God  shall  arise  sweetly  as  without  a  cloud, 
must  be  a  lofty  hill,  raised  above  these  perishable 
earthly  things,  and  be  illuminated  by  three  kinds  of 
light ;  that  is  to  say,  there  must  be  a  place  whereon 
the  rays  of  the  high  and  holy  Trinity  can  shine  and 
bring  forth  God's  high  and  noble  work  in  the  soul, 
according  to  all  His  will,  and  so  that  the  brightness 
of  the  Eternal  God  may  flow  into  that  soul. 

This  mountain  lay  between  Jerusalem  and 
Bethany.  Now,  know  of  a  truth  that  whosoever 
will  truly  follow  after  Christ,  must  mount  or  climb 
this  hill,  toilsome  or  weary  as  the  task  may  be ; 
for  there  is  no  mountain  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
however  beautiful  and  deUghtful,  but  what  is  difficult 
and  toilsome  to  ascend.  Thus,  whosoever  will 
foUow  Christ,  must  surely  cast  off  Nature  and  her 
lusts.  Now  we  find  many  who  would  gladly  follow 
Him  without  pain  or  toil  and  as  long  as  the  path 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  339 

was  easy,  and  would  fain  be  upon  this  mountain 
on  the  side  looking  towards  Jerusalem,  which 
signifieth  peace,  that  it  should  minister  to  their 
peace,  and  they  should  be  without  contradiction. 
Such  persons  experience  in  themselves  comfort, 
peace,  and  joy ;  yet  they  come  to  nought. 
They  will  not  set  foot  on  the  other  side  that 
looks  towards  Bethany,  which  name  signifies  the 
pain  of  obedience  ^or^of  suffering.  Of  which  place 
the  prophet  says  in.  the  Psalms:  "Who  passing 
through  the  valley  of  Baca  make  it  a  well."  Know, 
dear  children,  he  who  will  not  pitch  his  tent  in  this 
valley,  remaineth  unfruitful,  and  nothing  will  ever 
come  of  him.  However  great  his  peace,  and  how- 
ever fair  his  seeming,  it  must  have  an  end.  Therefore, 
a  devout  heart  shall  ever  have  a  sorrowful  yearning 
after  her  Beloved,  who  has  ascended  to  such  distant 
and  lofty  heights,  whither  her  eye  cannot  follow  or 
trace  Him.  Hence,  the  more  truly  and  deeply  the 
ground  of  a  man's  soul  has  been  touched  by  God,  the 
more  truly  does  he  find  this  valley  of  tears  within 
him.  And  had  he  no  other  cause  for  tears,  there 
were  need  enough  of  them  by  reason  of  sin  and  the 
defilement  that  hes  hidden  in  our  frail  nature,  by 
which  man  is  so  often  and  so  greatly  hindered  from 
a  lofty  converse  with  God  (which  might  and  ought 
by  God's  grace  to  go  on  without  ceasing  within  the 
soul),  and  from  the  sweet  aspirations  by  which  a  man 
should  continually  carry  up  all  things  to  God,  but 
that  gross  nature  hinders  him  and  turns  his  thoughts 
aside,  and  also  often  rules  in  secret  where  God  alone 
ought  to  have  His  constant  abode.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  looking 
towards  Bethany. 


340  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

But  he  who  should  experience  in  himself  aU  that  I 
have  said,  would  then  have  his  face  turned  towards 
Jerusalem,  the  city  of  peace,  and  thus  would  become 
wise  as  to  all  that  he  should  do  or  leave  undone,  and 
able  to  distinguish  between  the  promptings  of  God 
and  of  nature.  Further,  tliis  would  strengthen  him 
that  he  might  be  the  better  able  to  bear  pain  and 
sorrow,  and  not  grow  too  weak  by  reason  of  his 
sufferings  and  misery,  when  he  is  forsaken  of  God, 
and  left  without  comfort  or  help  in  bitter  desolation. 
The  wise  man  says  :  "  My  son,  when  the  evil  days 
come,  thou  shalt  not  forget  the  goodness  of  God." 
Children,  these  two  prospects  towards  Jerusalem 
and  Bethany  must  be  both  at  once  in  the  soul  of 
man.  For  Jerusalem  means  a  city  of  peace ;  yet 
in  this  same  city,  Christ  was  put  to  death,  and  had 
to  suffer  all  manner  of  torments.  Truly,  child,  so 
must  thou  also  in  perfect  peace  suffer  and  die  to  all 
that  is  thine,  for  it  cannot  be  otherwise  ;  and  commit 
thy  cause  simply  and  truly  to  God,  and  renounce 
thyself  utterly,  for  thou  too  must  needs  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  wicked  Jews,  who  will  and  must  tor- 
ment, scourge,  and  crucify  thee,  and  cast  thee  out 
of  their  borders,  as  if  thou  wert  a  false  traitor  ;  and 
slay  thee  in  the  hearts  of  all  men.  Dear  child,  thou 
must  utterly  die,  if  God  Himself  without  a  medium 
is  to  become  thy  hfe  and  being.  Nay,  did  not  Christ 
Himself  say  to  His  disciples  :  "  Whosoever  slayeth 
you  will  think  that  he  doeth  God  service  ?  "  For 
all  those  who  despise  and  judge  thee,  or  torment 
and  slay  thee,  will  be  persuaded  in  their  own  minds 
that  they  are  doing  God  a  service  on  thee,  and  mean 
to  do  so.  Ah  !  dear  children,  how  greatly  blessed 
were  such  a  man,  if  he  nevertheless  were  a  dweller 


TAULER'S   SERMONS  341 

in  Jerusalem,  and  had  a  perfect  peace  in  himself, 
in  the  midst  of  all  this  disquiet !  Then  would  the 
very  peace  of  God  be  indeed  brought  forth  in  man. 

Children,  on  this  Mount  grows  the  ohve  -  tree, 
by  which  is  signified  true  godly  devoutness.  Ah ! 
children,  the  essence  of  devoutness  is  a  cleaving  of  the 
whole  spirit  to  God,  with  a  mind  ready  and  prepared 
at  all  times  to  love  and  to  purpose  all  that  is  of  God, 
so  that  the  man  is  inwardly  united  with  God  in  will 
and  purpose  and  all  things.  This  is  an  oil  that  over- 
flows and  rises  above  all  tasting  and  feeling.  Hast 
thou  this  olive-tree  growing  in  the  ground  of  thy  soul, 
thou  art  in  truth  a  devout  man.  This  flame  of 
devotion  shall  often  be  refreshed  and  renewed  with 
the  fire  of  Divine  love,  and  thou  shalt  unceasingly 
look  at  and  through  the  ground  of  thy  soul,  that 
nothing  may  be  concealed  there  which  is  not  truly 
and  merely  God's  ;  so  that  nature  may  not  rule 
and  work  in  the  ground  of  thy  soul,  where  God  alone 
should  dwell,  and  nought  else.  For,  alas  !  we  find 
many,  both  among  the  religious  and  the  worldly, 
who  do  not  simply  purpose  God  in  all  things  and 
nothing  else,  but  will  intend  themselves  in  things 
spiritual  and  natural.  We  find  very  few  who  serve 
God  for  His  own  sake,  and  do  not  regard  comfort, 
nor  joy,  nor  divine  gifts  in  time  or  eternity,  but  God 
alone,  and  no  object  besides. 

And  now  may  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  grant  us  to  ascend  with  the  eternal  Son 
of  God  from  this  miserable  state,  and  from  all 
creatures,  that  we  may  with  Him  possess  eternal 
life  !     Amen. 


XIX 

Sermon  for  Whit  Sunday 

John  vi.  44. — "  No  man  can  come  to  Me,  except  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  Me  draw  him." 

THUS  said  the  blessed  Jesus :  "  No  man 
can  come  to  Me  except  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  Me  draw  him."  The  persecuted,  dis- 
heartened disciples  of  Jesus,  who  were  held  captive 
in  the  bonds  of  ignorance  as  with  iron  fetters,  and 
in  their  own  esteem  were  lying  in  the  deep  dungeons 
of  their  trespasses,  confessing  themselves  stript 
of  all  their  own  might,  cried  with  fervent  prayer  to 
the  Almighty  Father  (as  St.  Luke  tells  us,  that  while 
they  were  waiting  for  the  promise  of  the  Father, 
they  "  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  sup- 
plication "),  pra3dng  that  their  bonds  might  be 
loosed,  and  that  they  might  be  delivered  from  their 
prison-house.  Wherefore  their  Heavenly  Father, 
to  whom  they  had  made  known  their  requests  in 
faith,  heard  their  prayer,  and  set  them  free  from 
all  bonds,  and  drew  them  out  of  their  dungeon 
by  six  steps  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  where  they  were  filled  with  all  truth. 

First  of  all.  He  turned  His  merciful  eyes  upon 
them,  and  made  them  fit  to  receive,  not  only  His 
ordinary  influences,  whereby  He  is  wont  to  bring 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  343 

men  unto  Himself,  but  He  sought  to  bring  them  unto 
Himself  in  a  peculiar  manner  above  other  men. 
For  we  find  three  other  ways  by  which  God  draws 
men  unto  Himself.  The  first  is  by  means  of  the 
creatures,  in  whom  He  very  clearly  reveals  Himself 
to  men  through  the  created  light  of  their  souls. 
Thus  St.  Thomas  tells  us  how  some  heathen,  from 
the  evidences  of  His  in -dwelling  and  presence  in 
all  the  creatures,  have  maintained  that  God  is  the 
creator  and  ruler  of  the  world,  and  how  therefore 
in  every  part  of  the  world  honours  ought  to  be 
rendered  unto  Him.  In  this  drawing  by  means  of 
the  creatures,  does  God  give  a  hint  and  offer  of 
Himself  to  man.  The  second  way  is  by  His  voice 
in  the  soul,  when  an  eternal  truth  mysteriously 
suggests  itself.  So  St.  Augustine  says,  that  the 
heathens  have  discoursed  of  certain  truths,  and 
these  they  have  reached  by  virtue  of  the  eternal 
laws  of  God  which  are  working  in  all  men  when  they 
speak  what  is  true,  and  not  by  the  mere  light  of 
their  own  nature.  As  Augustine  says  :  "  Whatever 
is  true,  by  whomsoever  it  is  spoken,  proceeds  from 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Hence,  at  those  moments  when 
all  the  powers  of  the  soul  are  collected  and  turned 
inwards,  it  often  happens  that  some  eternal  truth 
presents  itself  with  irresistible  clearness.  This 
happens  not  unfrequently  in  morning  sleep,  just 
before  waking.  This  sort  of  drawing  may  be  called 
a  whisper  of  love,  or  a  monition.  The  third  way  is 
when  the  human  will  is  subdued,  and  stands  waiting 
for  the  blessed  Will  of  God,  truly  stript  of  itself  and 
all  things,  so  that  the  Almighty  Father  draws  the 
created  will  without  resistance,  and  it  leans  towards 
Him  with  pecuhar  delight.     This  drawing  may  be 


344  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

called  a  union  and  an  embrace.  This  drawing  of  the 
will  towards  God  comes  from  the  Highest  Good  ; 
from  Him  who  has  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  all 
the  creatures,  for  man's  sake,  and  yet  humbled  Him- 
self even  unto  death.  Now  it  is  because  He  has  a 
greater  delight  in  man  than  in  all  the  glories  of 
heaven  and  earth,  and  for  no  other  reason,  that  He 
seeks  him  out  and  gives  him  monitions  through  all 
things.  It  was  that  He  might  thus  draw  the  beloved 
disciples  unto  Himself  that  He  cast  His  eye  of  mercy 
on  them,  and  through  blessing  and  affliction  turned 
and  disposed  their  wills  until  He  fitted  them  to 
receive  and  follow  His  leadings.  And  it  was  because 
the  disciples  let  Him  work  in  them  as  it  pleased  Him, 
that  they  came  at  last  to  experience  the  full  power 
of  His  drawing,  as  we  may  see  in  all  that  happened 
to  them  afterwards. 

Now  some  may  ask,  Why  did  God  thus  prepare 
the  disciples  for  His  leadings,  and  not  me,  or  others 
before  me,  in  whom  He  has  not  wrought  after  such 
a  special  manner  ?  For  this  special  leading  there 
were  two  causes  :  the  first  is  the  sovereign  will  of 
God,  who  chooses  some  men  above  others  to  be 
partakers  of  His  mysteries  and  hidden  sweetness  ; 
just  as  a  King,  out  of  his  mere  good  pleasure,  chooses 
certain  knights  to  compose  his  privy  council  and  to 
be  about  his  person.  The  second  cause  is  that  one 
man  listens  more  attentively  to  God's  voice,  and 
takes  more  pains  to  discover  God's  leadings,  or 
endeavours  more  strenuously  to  lay  aside  his  faults 
and  whatever  comes  between  him  and  God  ;  and 
for  this  cause  also  one  man  is  more  strongly  drawn 
than  another.  Now  because  the  dear  disciples 
had  this  mind  in  them,  that  with  hearty  repentance 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  345 

they  besought  forgiveness  for  all  their  past  life  of 
ignorance  and  sin,  and  meditated  on  the  sweet 
teachings  and  holy  life  and  death  of  their  beloved 
Master  and  His  boundless  love  and  resignation, 
and  forsook  all  things,  and  watched  continually 
and  committed  themselves  wholly  to  God,  ever 
waiting  to  discern  His  will,  and  gave  heed  thereto, 
and  did  without  means  so  far  as  they  could,  and 
prayed  for  help  when  they  could  not ;  therefore  this 
special  drawing  was  given  unto  them,  as  it  is  still 
given  to  this  day  to  those  who  follow  in  their 
footsteps. 

Now  it  may  be  asked,  But  the  disciples  could  not 
have  made  this  first  step  of  their  own  power  ;  for 
the  Word  of  Truth  says :  "  Without  Me  ye  can  do 
nothing."  Therefore,  it  must  have  been  necessary 
for  God  to  draw  them,  and  to  influence  their  will, 
even  as  regards  these  three  points  already  treated 
of.  But  if  this  be  so,  all  hangs  upon  the  first  cause, 
as  has  been  said  before.  To  this  the  doctrine  of 
Scripture  answers  :  It  is  true  that  we  can  do  no 
good  thing  without  God's  ordinary  influence,  except 
we  make  progress  by  means  of  a  special  influence 
from  the  Holy  Spirit ;  yet,  at  the  same  time,  man 
may  do  his  part,  inasmuch  as  his  will  has  power  to 
withstand  the  offers  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  cleave 
to  his  own  way.  God  does  not  justify  a  man  without 
his  own  free  will ;  even  as  our  eyes  cannot  see  except 
they  are  enhghtened  by  the  sun  or  any  other  light, 
yet  even  when  we  have  the  light  we  must  open  our 
eyes,  or  we  can  never  see  it.  If  the  eyes  were  covered 
with  a  thick  veil  or  screen,  the  man  must  take  it 
away  or  he  could  see  nothing,  however  brightly  the 
sun  might  pour  forth  his  rays.     Now,  when  the 


346  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Almighty  Father  came  unto  the  disciples  with  his 
Divine  light,  they  opened  their  eyes,  and  cast  away 
the  screen  of  outward  forms,  as  much  as  might  be  ; 
therefore,  God  did  his  part  also,  and  drew  them  up 
unto  Himself  after  a  special  manner.  This  was  the 
work  of  the  lovely,  Divine  Son,  who  is  the  reprover 
of  all  hearts, —  clearing  out  all  stumbUng  -  blocks 
and  rending  away  all  evils  of  darkness  from  the 
inward  eye  of  the  soul. 

Secondly,  their  Heavenly  Father  drew  them  forth 
from  the  bonds  of  slavery  to  sense,  so  that  they  were 
delivered  from  this  captivity  never  again  to  fall 
into  it,  but  to  stand  ready  in  perfect  acquiescence 
to  receive  His  further  leadings.  Wherefore  He  gave 
them,  by  His  beloved  Son,  four  precepts,  accord- 
ing to  which  they  should  order  their  lives,  as  St. 
Matthew  tells  us  :  "  Provide  neither  gold,  nor  silver, 
nor  brass,  in  your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your  journey, 
neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes,  nor  yet  staves."  He 
who  only  considers  the  matter  aright,  will  find  that 
this  drawing  them  up  above  the  things  of  the  body 
was  very  necessary,  if  they  were  to  enter  the  school 
of  the  Eternal  Light.  For  this  school  has  four 
qualities.  First,  that  it  is  raised  far  above  all  time, 
not  only  in  the  third  heaven,  physically  speaking, 
but  above  all  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
and  all  else  that  is  subject  to  time.  In  the  second 
place,  that  whatever  may  be  found  still  remaining 
of  self-appropriation  is  not  suffered  to  make  itself  a 
home  and  resting-place  in  the  heart.  In  the  third 
place,  in  this  school  is  perfect  rest ;  for  no  storms, 
nor  rain,  nor  sin,  nor  aught  that  can  bring  change,  is 
there.  Fourthly,  there  reigns  perpetual  light,  clear 
and  unbedimmed ;  for  the  sun  and  moon,  which  set 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  347 

from  time  to  time,  and  leave  the  earth  in  darkness, 
do  not  shine  there.  God  is  their  eternal  sun,  shining 
in  His  brightness.  Now,  seeing  that  all  material, 
created  things  are  base,  narrow,  subject  to  change 
and  alloy,  it  was  needful  that  the  disciples  should  be 
raised  above  the  trammels  of  material  things,  for  St. 
Jerome  says  :  "  It  is  as  impossible  for  God  to  bestow 
Himself  under  the  limitations  of  time,  or  temporal 
things,  as  it  is  for  a  stone  to  possess  the  wisdom  of 
an  angel." 

Here  a  question  occurs  :  Since  the  Eternal  Father 
draws  some  men  from  earth  by  happiness,  and  others 
by  pain,  by  which  were  the  disciples  most  strongly 
drawn  ?  I  answer :  If  you  consider  their  life,  you 
win  find  that  they  were  drawn  to  God  much  more  by 
great  hardships  than  by  enjoyment ;  for  even  while 
Christ  dwelt  with  them,  they  were  always  suffering 
contempt,  and  contradiction  to  their  self-love  ;  and 
after  His  holy  death,  until  they  were  hfted  up  as  on 
this  day,  they  were  indeed  well-nigh  crushed  to  the 
earth  with  sorrow  and  disappointment,  before  the 
bonds  were  withdrawn  from  their  eyes  ;  and  their 
Heavenly  Father  ordered  it  thus  out  of  special  love 
toward  them.  To  be  drawn  to  God  through  pain  is 
in  itself  a  surer  way  than  by  joy,  as  St.  Gregory  says, 
paraphrasing  on  the  Psalmist :  "In  time  of  persecu- 
tion and  tribulation,  a  thousand  shall  fall  by  thy 
side  ;  but  in  a  time  of  prosperity  and  good  fortune 
ten  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  right  hand."  So,  too, 
is  it  more  Uke  Christ  in  all  His  life  and  death  ;  and, 
moreover,  it  is  a  greater  proof  of  love  ;  for  it  is  said  : 
"  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth,  and 
scourgeth  every  son  whom  He  receiveth.  Where- 
fore, as  the  disciples  were  to  receive  many  peculiar 


348  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  mysterious  favours  from  God,  so  this  was  to  be 
paid  for  beforehand,  and  for  each  gift  a  death  was 
to  be  suffered — a  dying  unto  themselves  ;  and  if  one 
trial  was  removed  by  God,  He  forthwith  sent  another 
equally  severe  (as  He  does  to  this  day  with  His 
beloved  friends),  and  they  understood  this,  and 
endured  to  the  end  all  that  their  Heavenly  Father 
laid  upon  them,  until  they  came  to  have  their 
suffering  turned  into  gladness,  and  rejoiced  that 
they  were  found  worthy  to  suffer  for  the  name  of 
Jesus. 

Thirdly,  their  Heavenly  Father  drew  them  up 
above  all  the  corporeal  ideas  that  they  had  of  the 
humanity  of  Christ,  making  their  minds  as  bare  of 
those  and  all  other  images,  as  they  were  when  first 
created,  in  order  that  henceforward,  according  to 
their  necessities,  they  might  learn  for  evermore 
in  the  school  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  this  we  are 
able  to  perceive  four  reasons.  First ;  that  truth 
and  love,  which  are  the  end  of  all  teaching  in  all 
schools,  have  no  images  nor  any  existence  outside 
the  soul ;  for  no  painting  can,  properly  speaking, 
depict  truth  and  love  ;  for  they  have  no  images, 
external  or  internal.  No  image  or  type  which  we 
can  devise  to  express  love,  is  love  itself  ;  and  it  is 
the  same  with  truth.  Next ;  that  in  the  school  of 
the  Spirit,  man  does  not  learn  through  books,  which 
teach  through  outward  images  addressed  to  the 
senses  ;  but  here  the  truth,  which  of  its  nature  does 
not  speak  by  means  of  images,  is  spoken  into  the  soul 
itself.  Hence  the  humble  St.  Francis  commanded 
the  brethren  of  his  Order  not  to  trouble  themselves 
too  much  with  books  and  letters,  and  that  those  who 
were  unlettered  should  not  be  anxious  about  acquir- 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  349 

ing  learning,  but  remember  to  covet  above  all  things 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  pray  only  for  a  pure  heart 
and  His  influences.  Thirdly  ;  because  in  the  school 
of  the  Spirit  man  learns  wisdom  through  humility, 
knowledge  by  forgetting,  how  to  speak  by  silence, 
how  to  live  by  dying.  For  St.  John  was  sleeping 
when  he  looked  into  the  fount  of  eternal  wisdom, 
and  St.  Paul  knew  not  whether  he  was  in  the  body 
or  out  of  the  body,  when  he  was  "  caught  up  to  the 
third  heaven  and  heard  unspeakable  words,  which 
it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter."  Therefore  it  was 
needful  for  the  disciples  to  be  deprived  of  all  images 
that  they  might  learn  in  this  school.  Fourthly ; 
where  the  mind  is  busied  with  images,  time  must 
necessarily  enter  into  the  operations  of  the  imagina- 
tion, and  this  has  no  place  in  the  highest  school  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  for  there  neither  time  nor  images 
can  help  us,  but  contact  is  all  that  is  needed,  the 
which  may  happen  without  time  within  the  space 
of  a  moment.  St.  Gregory  says  :  "  The  Holy  Ghost 
is  an  admirable  master-workman  ;  He  fills  a  fisher- 
man, and  makes  a  preacher  of  him ;  He  Ms  a 
persecutor,  and  transforms  him  into  a  teacher  of  the 
Gentiles  ;  He  fills  a  pubhcan,  and  makes  of  him  an 
evangehst.  Who  is  this  master  -  workman  ?  He 
needs  not  time  for  His  teachings  ;  by  whatever 
means  He  chooses,  so  soon  as  He  has  touched  the 
soul.  He  has  taught  it,  and  His  mere  touch  is  His 
teaching."  For  these  four  reasons  we  can  perceive 
how  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  disciples  to  have 
their  souls  bereft  of  all  images.  But  when  they  were 
drawn  upwards  to  this  end,  not  aU  happened  to  them 
which  happened  to  St.  Paul,  when  he  was  caught  up 
to  the  third  heaven ;    for,  in  the  opinion  of  St. 


350  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Augustine,  it  was  given  to  Paul  in  his  trance,  and 
to  Moses  in  Sinai,  to  behold  the  Godhead  without  a 
veil.  This  was  not  the  case  with  the  disciples  at  this 
time,  for  they  well  knew  that  they  were  still  in  the 
body.  Yet  their  hearts  were  so  lifted  up,  and  their 
minds  so  illumined  with  eternal  truth,  that  they 
were  enabled  to  receive  that  same  thing,  though 
some  more  and  some  less,  which  St.  PauTläfterwards 
received  in  his  vision. 

In  the^  Fourth  place  ;  the  Holy  Father  drew  them 
out  of  themselves,  and  delivered  them  from  all 
natural  self-seeking,  so  that  they  stood  at  rest,  in 
true  peace  with  themselves,  and  in  perfect  freedom. 
Then  ceased  all  the  mourning,  fears,  and  pain  wHch 
they  had  suffered  hitherto  ;  for  in  the  lifting  up 
of  their  souls,  there  was  an  act  of  such  entire  self- 
surrender,  that  they  reached  the  summit  of  that  first 
stage  of  the  Christian  course  of  which  we  have 
spoken  above.  Henceforward  the  Eternal  Father 
could  fulfil  His  good  pleasure  in  them  without  any 
resistance  from  their  will  or  natural  incUnations. 
The  Eternal  Father  thus  drew  them  upwards,  that 
He  might  reign  as  a  master  in  them,  in  His  omni- 
potence, greatness,  unity,  and  love,  and  they  should 
learn  of  Him  and  grow  up  into  His  likeness.  Hence 
it  was  needful  that  they  should  be  drawn  out  of 
themselves,  because  they  could  not  be  free,  at  one, 
noble  and  loving,  so  long  as  they  were  held  captive 
to  Self.  It  may  be  asked  :  When  the  disciples  were 
thus  drawn  out  of  themselves,  and  all  images  were 
effaced  from  their  souls,  was  there  an  extinction  of 
their  natural  powers,  so  that  they  were  dead  to 
nature  ?  I  answer,  No  :  their  nature  was  not  ex- 
tinguished, for  they  were  much  more  truly  according 


TAULER'S    SERMONS  351 

to  nature  in  their  self-surrender  than  they  had  -ever 
been  before  ;  for  what  the  Lord  of  nature  ordains  for 
a  creature,  that  it  is  natural  for  the  creature  to 
observe,  and  if  it  departs  therefrom,  it  acts  contrary 
to  nature.  Thus  St.  Augustine  says,  "  that  the  rod 
in  the  Old  Testament  was  turned  into  a  serpent 
was  not  contrary  to  nature,  for  it  was  God's  will." 
Wherefore  I  say  too,  that  inasmuch  as  the  disciples 
surrendered  themselves  utterly  to  the  Divine  Will, 
they  were  in  the  highest  sense  in  harmony  with 
nature  ;  and  their  nature  did  not  perish,  but  was 
exalted  and  brought  into  rightful  order.  There  were 
no  fewer  images  in  their  minds  than  before  ;  but  the 
images  did  not  disturb  their  inward  harmony  or 
move  them  out  of  God.  And  when  I  said  that  their 
minds  were  to  be  emptied  of  images,  it  is  to  be 
understood  in  this  sense,  that  it  was  just  as  when 
you  set  a  lighted  taper  at  midday  in  the  sunshine, 
the  taper  continues  to  burn,  and  sheds  forth  no  less 
hght  than  it  did  before  ;  but  its  light  is  lost  in  the 
sunshine,  because  the  greater  Hght  prevails  over  the 
lesser  and  absorbs  it,  so  that  it  no  longer  seems  to 
shine  with  a  separate  lustre,  but  is  diffused  and  shed 
forth  in  the  greater  light.  Thus  I  said  of  images  and 
of  creatures  in  the  case  of  the  disciples,  that  hence- 
forth they  perfomied  all  their  works  by  means  of  the 
Divine  hght,  and  yet  were  much  more  according 
to  nature,  and  their  minds  were  as  full  of  images  as 
before. 

Fifthly  :  the  Heavenly  Father  drew  His  disciples, 
thus  free  and  acquiescing,  into  so  close  a  union  that 
He  gave  Himself  as  truly  unto  them,  as  they  had 
given  themselves  unto  Him.  Then  all  the  desire 
of  the  good  pleasure  of  God  was  fulfilled,  and  also 


352  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

all  the  desires  of  the  disciples,  so  that  God's  will  with 
them  went  no  farther  than  their  own  wiUs.  Not 
only  did  the  Holy  Ghost  give  himself  unto  them,  but 
also  God  the  Father  and  the  Son  gave  themselves 
with  the  Spirit,  as  one  God  without  distinction  of 
persons.  For  when  love  is  attributed  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  (as  wisdom  to  the  Son),  He  must  be  considered 
as  a  distinct  Person,  as  touching  his  attribute  of 
being  the  bond  of  mutual  love,  but  not  as  otherwise 
distinct.  Here  some  may  ask,  if  the  disciples  were 
all  drawn  out  of  themselves,  and  gave  themselves 
up  to  God,  did  God  draw  them  all  to  Himself  in  the 
same  degree,  and  also  give  Himself  alike  to  all  ? 
I  answer :  though  all  the  disciples  were  set  free  of 
self,  yet  one  turned  to  God  with  warmer  love  and 
stronger  desire  than  another ;  as  the  angels  who 
kept  their  first  estate  all  remained  in  perfect  obedi- 
ence to  God,  and  yet  one  cleaved  to  Him  with 
greater  love  than  another.  Wherefore  God  gave 
Himself  more  to  one  than  to  another,  though  all 
with  like  sincerity  turned  unto  Him.  Thus  was  it 
with  the  disciples  ;  they  turned  unto  God  with  un- 
equal affections,  and  hence  God  bestowed  Himself 
and  His  gifts  upon  them  after  an  unequal  manner. 
The  beloved  disciple  John  was  the  most  highly 
favoured  because  he  looked  up  to  God  with  the  great- 
est fervour  of  love.  It  is  true,  nevertheless,  that  in 
this  matter  much  must  be  ascribed  to  the  s.overeign 
will  of  God,  who  giveth  to  every  man  as  He  will. 
Further,  we  must  note  that  it  was  not  only  on  the 
Day  of  Pentecost  that  God  gave  Himself  personally 
to  His  disciples  ;  for,  as  Richard  and  other  doctors 
say,  so  often  as  that  grace  is  given  to  man  which 
makes  the  creature  to  find  favour  in  the  sight  of  God, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  353 

so  often  is  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost  given 
unto  him.  Thus  the  disciples  had  many  times  before 
received  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  they 
had  never  before  utterly  renounced  themselves, 
and  opened  their  hearts  to  His  gifts.  Hence,  in  this 
sense,  He  was  first  given  unto  them  on  the  Day  of 
Pentecost. 

Sixthly,  the  Eternal  Father  brought  them  into 
the  highest  school  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  which 
they  straightway  understood  the  mysteries  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  the  simple  naked  truth  of  God, 
which  cannot  be  understood  by  any  of  the  mere 
earthly  masters  in  the  schools.  And  in  this  school 
the  greatness  of  God  was  first  laid  open  to  them  ;  and 
therewith  the  gift  of  childlike  fear  of  God  sank  down 
into  their  hearts,  and  abode  there  unto  their  hfe's 
end.  Next,  all  power  was  given  unto  them,  and  they 
were  enabled  always  to  look  up  to  God  ;  and  here- 
with they  received  the  gift  of  strength.  In  the  tliird 
place,  they  learnt  not  only  to  obey  the  precepts,  but 
also  to  apprehend  the  counsel  of  Christ,  and  there- 
with they  received  the  gift  of  counsel.  Fourthly,  He 
taught  them  to  feel  the  hidden  sweetness  of  God, 
and  gave  them  therewith  the  gift  of  charity.  Fifthly, 
He  taught  them  how  to  observe  and  judge  the 
creatures,  and  to  distinguish  between  the  light  of 
God  and  the  suggestions  of  nature,  and  therewith 
bestowed  on  them  the  gift  of  science.  Sixthly,  He 
taught  them  to  perceive  aright  their  present  con- 
dition, and  all  their  previous  states,  and  gave  them 
therewith  the  gift  of  understanding.  Seventhly, 
He  taught  them  to  be  transformed  into  the  likeness 
of  God,  by  loving  union  with  Him,  and  gave  them 
therewith  the  gift  of  wisdom.  These  sevenfold 
z 


354  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

gifts  does  the  Holy  Ghost  convey  to  the  disciples  in 
His  school :  for  as  the  schools  of  natural  learning 
teach  the  seven  sciences,  and  the  school  of  doctrine 
the  seven  sacraments,  so  does  the  Holy  Ghost,  in 
his  school,  teach  those  seven  things  with  His  seven- 
fold gifts. 

Here  a  question  arises ;  Did  the  disciples  in  this 
highest  school  of  the  Spirit  obtain  an  insight  into  all 
those  sciences  which  are  learnt  in  the  school  of 
nature  ?  I  answer,  Yes  ;  it  was  given  them  to  under- 
stand all  science,  whether  touching  the  courses  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  or  what  not,  in  so  far  as  it 
might  conduce  to  God's  glory,  or  concerned  the 
salvation  of  man  ;  but  those  points  of  science  which 
bear  no  fruit  for  the  soul,  they  were  not  given  to 
know.  This  in  no  wise  abated  their  happiness,  or 
their  perfection  ;  for,  as  St.  Augustine  says  :  "  He 
is  a  miserable  man  who  knows  all  things,  and  does 
not  know  God ;  and  he  is  happy  who  knows  God, 
even  though  he  know  nothing  else.  But  he  who 
knows  God  and  all  else  beside  is  not  made  more 
blessed  thereby ;  for  he  is  blessed  through  God 
alone."  That  God  may  thus  draw  us  up  unto  Him- 
self, and  shine  into  our  inmost  parts  with  the  same 
truth,  may  He  grant  us  of  His  grace  !     Amen  ! 


XX 

Sermon  for  the  Fourth  Sunday 
after  Trinity 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

This  sermon  telleth  us  of  four  measures  that  shall  be 
rendered  unto  man,  and  of  two  grades  of  a  godly 
life,  and  how  we  ought  to  love  our  neighbour. 

Luke  vi.  36-42. 

WE  read  in  the  Gospel  for  this  day  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  said  :  "  Be  ye  therefore 
merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful.  Judge 
not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged ;  condemn  not, 
and  ye  shall  not  be  condemned ;  forgive,  and 
ye  shall  be  forgiven  ;  give,  and  it  shall  be  given 
unto  you  :  good  measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken 
together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your 
bosom.  For  with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete 
withal,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again.  And  He 
spake  a  parable  unto  them,  Can  the  bhnd  lead  the 
blind  ?  shall  they  not  both  fall  into  the  ditch  ? 
The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master  :  but  every  one 
that  is  perfect  shall  be  as  his  master.  And  why 
beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye, 
but  perceivest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ? 


356  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Either  how  canst  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Brother, 
let  me  pull  out  the  mote  that  is  in  thine  eye,  when 
thou  beholdest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own 
eye  ?  Thou  hypocrite,  cast  out  first  the  beam  out 
of  thine  own  eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to 
pull  out  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye." 

I  will  say  a  few  words  on  the  precept :  "  Be  ye 
merciful,  even  as  your  Father  in  heaven  is  merciful." 
This  noble  virtue  is,  now-a-days,  quite  a  stranger 
to  the  hearts  of  many,  insomuch  that  it  is  grievous 
to  behold.  For  each  is  called  to  exercise  this 
mercy  towards  his  neighbour,  whereinsoever  the 
latter  may  have  need  of  it ;  not  only  as  regards  the 
giving  of  earthly  goods,  but  also  the  bearing  with 
his  neighbour's  faults  in  all  gentleness  and  mercy. 
But  no  !  each  one  falls  upon  his  neighbour  and 
judges  him  ;  and  as  soon  as  any  mishap  befalls  a 
man,  whether  deserved  or  not,  straightway,  without 
waiting  to  take  thought,  another  comes  along  and 
lends  a  helping  hand  to  make  matters  worse,  to  put 
a  bad  face  on  them,  and  suggests  the  most  evil 
interpretation  that  he  can  imagine  ;  nay,  it  is  thanks 
to  God  if  he  do  not  add  a  great  piece  from  the  stores 
of  his  own  wicked  imagination.  This  evil  tongue 
(from  which  arise  untold  sorrows  and  vexations) 
is  at  work  at  once  before  a  man  has  time  to  reflect 
and  pass  a  deliberate  judgment.  Poor  creature ! 
as  thou  lovest  thy  eternal  salvation,  wait,  at  all 
events,  till  thou  canst  calmly  reflect,  and  know  what 
thou  thinkest  and  sayest.  For  it  is  a  base  and 
scandalous  thing  for  a  man  thus  thoughtlessly  and 
rashly  to  pass  sentence,  which  may  not  even  be 
deserved,  upon  his  neighbours,  with  his  sharp,  ruth- 
less words,  whereby  he,  spiritually  speaking,  slays 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  357 

his  neighbour  in  the  hearts  of  others.  And  who  has 
commanded  thee  to  pass  judgment  ?  Wherefore 
Christ  tells  us  that  whosoever  judges  another  shall 
be  judged  by  God  :  "  For  with  what  judgment 
ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged  ;  and  with  the  same 
measure  that  ye  mete,  shall  it  be  measured  to  you 
again."  Of  this  matter  no  more  for  the  present ; 
but  let  us  consider  those  words  of  Christ :  "  For 
with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again." 

We  read  in  the  Gospel  of  four  sorts  of  measure 
that  shall  be  given  to  a  man, — a  good  measure,  one 
shaken  together,  one  pressed  down,  and  one  running 
over.  The  doctors  of  divinity  teach  us  that  a  good 
measure  is  for  a  man  while  in  this  present  time, 
through  the  help  and  grace  of  God,  to  be  in  a  state 
of  salvation  and  hoUness,  whereby  he  may  enter  into 
eternal  life  hereafter.  The  second  sort  of  measure 
is  for  the  body  of  a  justified  man  to  be  glorified  with 
his  soul  at  the  day  of  judgment :  this  is  the  measure 
which  is  added  to.  The  measure  pressed  down  is, 
that  a  man  should  have  his  portion  with  all  the  saints 
and  angels  of  God  in  eternal  life.  The  measure 
running  over  is,  that  a  man  should  have  a  perfect 
fruition  of  God  directly  without  means. 

Now,  dear  children,  we  will  give  you  yet  another 
exposition  of  these  words,  and  ask  :  First,  what  is 
the  measure  whereby  we  shall  be  measured  ? 
Secondly,  who  is  He  that  measures  ?  The  measure 
whereby  we  shall  be  measured  is  the  faculty  of  love 
in  the  soul  —  the  human  Will.  This  is,  properly 
speaking,  the  measure  whereby  all  human  words 
and  works  and  life  are  measured,  for  this  is 
neither  added  to  nor  taken   from.      By  so  large 


358  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

a  measure  as  thou  hast  meted  withal  shall  be  meted 
unto  thee  again  with  thine  own  measure  in  eternity. 
And  the  meter  is  thine  own  enhghtened  reason  and 
conscience.  Now  let  us  observe  first  concerning 
the  good  measure,  that  it  is,  when  a  man  freely 
and  heartily  turns  to  God  in  his  will,  and  lives 
circumspectly  according  to  the  commands  of  God 
and  the  Holy  Church ;  and  moreover  lives  orderly 
in  the  communion  of  the  holy  sacraments,  in  the 
true  Christian  faith,  being  truly  sorry  for  his  past 
sins,  and  having  a  thorough  and  steadfast  purpose 
to  abstain  from  them  henceforward,  and  to  live  in 
penitence  and  the  fear  of  God,  loving  God  and  his 
neighbour.  Alas !  there  be  few  now-a-days  who 
thus  do,  or  even  desire  to  live  in  the  fear  of  God. 
Children,  one  who  thus  lives  is  said  to  and  does  lead 
a  just  Christian  hfe,  and  is  a  true  Christian  man ; 
and  this  is  a  good  measure  which,  without  doubt, 
hath  a  part  in  eternal  hfe.  These  are  rules  which 
aU  really  Christian  men  must  needs  observe.  There 
are  some  whom  God  has  invited  and  called  to  this 
"  good  measure,"  and  of  whom  He  demands  no 
more  than  this.  And  it  may  very  possibly  be 
appointed  and  come  to  pass  that  such  men  may  walk 
so  unspotted  and  godly  in  this  way,  that  after  death 
they  may  enter  into  eternal  life  without  any  pur- 
gatory. Yet  nevertheless  this  is  the  lowest  path 
by  which  to  approach  to  our  merciful  God. 

After  these,  there  is  a  second  sort  of  men  whom 
God  has  called  to  tread  a  much  higher  path,  that 
they  may  reach  a  much  higher  goal,  notwithstanding 
that  some  of  these  should  have  to  pass  through 
purgatory,  inasmuch  as  they  have  not  lived  per- 
fectly and  faultlessly  according  to  the  vocation  to 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  359 

which  God  had  called  them.  These  have  to  suffer 
such  long  and  sharp  anguish  in  the  fire  of  purifica- 
tion as  no  human  heart  can  fathom  or  express.  But 
when  they  have  reached  the  term  of  their  purifica- 
tion, they  rise  a  thousand  degrees  higher  than  the 
former  class  of  men.  With  them  it  stands  thus  : 
that  having  set  out  in  a  spiritual,  blessed,  and  holy 
life,  they  were  overtaken  by  death  ere  they  had 
reached  their  goal.  Now  when  these  men  are  in 
the  beginning  of  their  spiritual  hfe,  they  practise 
many  excellent  outward  exercises  of  piety — such  as 
prayer,  weeping,  fasting,  and  the  like ;  but  they 
receive  from  God  a  heaped-up  measure,  in  that  they 
have  also  inward  exercises,  setting  themselves  with 
all  diligence  to  seek  God  in  the  inmost  ground  of 
their  souls,  for  therein  is  seated  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Their  hfe  is  very  far  different  from  that  of  the  first 
class  I  have  described. 

Now,  children,  would  a  man  attain  to  such  a  point 
that  the  outward  things  should  not  hinder  the  inward 
workings  of  the  soul,  that  would  be  indeed  above  all 
a  blessed  thing  ;  for  two  things  are  better  than  one. 
But  if  thou  find  that  the  outward  work  hinders  the 
inward  working  of  the  soul,  then  boldly  let  it  go,  and 
turn  thou  with  all  thy  might  to  that  which  is  inward, 
for  God  esteemeth  it  far  before  that  which  is  outward. 
Now  we  priests  do  on  this  wise  :  for  during  the  fast 
days  in  Lent  we  have  many  services,  but  at  Easter 
and  Whitsuntide  we  shorten  our  services  and  say 
fewer  prayers,  for  the  greatness  of  the  festival.  So 
likewise  do  thou  when  thou  art  bidden  to  this  high 
festival  of  inward  converse  ;  and  fear  not  to  lay 
aside  outward  exercises,  if  else  they  would  be  a  snare 
and  hindrance  to  thee,  except  in  so  far  as  thou  art 


36o  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

bound  to  perform  them  for  the  sake  of  order.  For 
I  tell  thee  of  a  truth,  that  the  pure  inward  work  is 
a  divine  and  blessed  life,  in  which  we  shall  be  led 
into  all  truth,  if  we  can  but  keep  ourselves  pure  and 
separate,  and  undisturbed  by  outward  anxieties. 
So  in  thy  hours  of  meditation,  when  thou  turnest 
thy  thoughts  within,  set  before  thy  mind  whatever 
thou  shalt  find  most  helpful  to  thee,  whether  it  be 
the  noble  and  unspotted  hfe  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  or  His  manifold  sharp  and  bitter  sufferings, 
or  His  many  painful  wounds  and  His  precious  blood- 
shedding,  or  the  eternal  and  essential  Godhead,  or 
the  Holy  Trinity,  or  the  Eternal  Wisdom,  or  the 
Divine  Power,  or  the  gentle  and  compassionate  kind- 
ness of  God,  or  the  countless  benefits  that  He  has 
bestowed  on  thee  and  all  men,  and  will  bestow  ever- 
more on  thee  and  all  those  who  deserve  them  and 
are  found  in  God's  grace  at  their  end. 

Therefore,  dear  children,  among  all  these  excellent 
things,  whichever  most  stirs  you  up  to  true  devout- 
ness  and  fervent  desire,  take,  and  humbly  sink  down 
into  the  abyss  of  God,  with  great  thankfulness,  and 
wait  for  God  with  this  preparation.  For,  by  such 
exercises,  with  love,  the  soul  becomes  very  quick  to 
feel  God's  touch,  far  more  so  than  by  any  outward 
practices  of  devotion.  For  the  inward  work  is  always 
better  than  the  outward  ;  and  from  it  the  outward 
works  of  virtue  draw  all  their  power  and  efficacy. 
It  is  as  if  thou  hadst  a  noble  excellent  wine,  of  such 
virtue  that  a  drop  of  it  poured  into  a  cask  of  water 
would  be  enough  to  make  all  the  water  taste  like 
wine  and  turn  it  into  good  wine.  This  would  be 
a  great  miracle  ;  and  so  it  is  with  the  noble,  excellent, 
inward  work  of  the  soul  compared  to  the  outward. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  361 

Now,  we  find  some  men  whose  love  is  like  a  very 
broad  vessel ;  that  is  they  can  meditate  a  great  deal 
upon  our  Lord,  and  with  great  desire  and  fervour, 
but  they  are  hardly  two  inches  deep.  That  is  to  say, 
they  lack  humility  and  a  common  godlike  love  toward 
all  mankind.  For,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  "  Salva- 
tion does  not  depend  on  the  length  of  time  that  a 
person  has  been  converted  to  God,  nor  on  the  number 
of  good  deeds  performed,  but  solely  on  the  greatness 
of  his  love."  This  we  see  in  the  example  of  the 
husbandmen  who,  with  great  labour,  till  the  wheat- 
fields  and  precious  vineyards,  yet  partake  not  them- 
selves of  these  best  fruits  of  the  earth,  but  have  only 
rye  to  eat  and  water  to  drink.  So  it  is  with  many 
persons,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  with  regard  to  the  out- 
ward good  works  which  they  do,  that  other  more 
noble-minded  and  devout  persons  reap  the  fruit  and 
benefit  thereof. 

Next  comes  the  measure  that  is  shaken  together ; 
and  this  signifies  an  overflowing  love  which  draws  all 
things  into  itself  ;  that  is  to  say,  all  good  deeds  and 
all  sorrows,  nay  every  good  which  is  brought  to  pass 
in  the  world,  whether  by  good  or  wicked  men,  does 
this  overflowing  love  draw  into  its  own  vessel.  And 
he  who  possesses  this  love  has  a  much  larger  owner- 
ship and  delight  in  the  good  actions  of  another,  who 
does  those  actions  but  lacks  this  love,  than  the  doer 
himself.  Therefore,  of  all  the  pious  acts,  the  masses, 
vigils,  and  psalters  that  are  read  and  sung,  the  many 
great  sacrifices  that  are  made  for  God's  sake, — of  all 
these  good  things  is  more  meted  and  allotted  to  such 
loving  men  than  to  those  who  may  have  done  the 
good  works,  but  do  not  stand  in  this  overflowing 
love.     For  I  tell  thee  that  God  will  not  accept  the 


362  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

works  of  which  He  is  not  the  beginning  and  the  end  ; 
but,  as  St.  Paul  tells  us,  "  Though  I  bestow  all  my 
goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body 
to  be  burned,  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth 
me  nothing."  Hence  this  virtue  of  godly  charity 
is  the  greatest  of  all  virtues  ;  for  by  love  it  draws 
unto  itself  all  good  deeds,  customs,  and  services,  in 
heaven  or  on  earth,  which  are  the  fruits  of  grace : 
what  evil  a  man  has  remains  his  own,  but  what  good 
he  has  is  the  property  of  love.  Even  as  when  we 
pour  com  into  a  vessel,  all  the  grains  do  hurry  for- 
ward and  press  together  as  though  they  desired  to 
become  one,  so  doth  love  swallow  up  all  the  goodness 
of  angels  and  saints  in  heaven,  all  suffering  and  pain, 
and  all  the  goodness  that  is  found  in  any  creature 
in  heaven  and  on  earth,  whereof  more  than  can  be 
told  is  wasted  and  thrown  away,  as  far  as  we  are 
concerned,  but  love  doth  gather  it  all  up  into  itself, 
and  will  not  suffer  it  to  be  lost.  The  godly  doctors 
of  Holy  Scripture  tell  us  that  in  heaven  the  elect  do 
ever  bear  such  great  love  one  to  another  that,  if  one 
soul  were  to  perceive  and  see  that  another  soul  had 
a  clearer  vision  and  greater  fruition  of  the  Deity  than 
herself,  she  would  rejoice  with  her  sister  as  though 
she  herself  had  won  and  enjoyed  this  blessedness. 
Therefore,  the  more  while  here  on  earth  we  approach 
and  are  made  like  unto  this  overflowing  love,  the 
more  shall  we  enjoy  of  its  blessedness  hereafter  in 
eternal  life ;  for  he  who  most  entirely  rejoices  in 
good  works  here  on  earth  in  a  spirit  of  love,  he  alone 
shall  possess  and  enjoy  love  in  eternal  life  hereafter. 
But  this  same  spirit  of  love  is  what  the  Evil  One 
always  hates  in  a  man  :  wherefore  he  is  ever  trying 
to  bring  such  as  have  it  into  a  false  self -righteousness, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  363 

and  into  displeasure  with  their  neighbours'  ways 
and  works,  so  that  the  man  conceits  within  himself 
that  his  neighbour's  works  are  not  so  good  as  they 
ought  to  be,  and  so  in  a  moment  he  falleth  away 
from  this  love,  and  begins  to  judge  his  neighbour 
and  pass  sentence  on  him.  And  then  from  the  depth 
of  this  judging  spirit  darts  forth  a  stinging  venomous 
tongue,  that  wounds  and  poisons  the  soul  unto 
eternal  death.  This  same  arrow  of  judgment  will 
smite  and  slay  all  the  excellent  and  virtuous  works 
that  thou  hadst  stored  up  unto  thyself  through  an 
overflowing  love,  and  thus  thou  wilt  find  thyself 
despoiled  and  laid  waste,  and  thy  peace  destroyed 
within  thee,  and  then  thou  wilt  be  in  a  miser- 
able and  dangerous  condition.  Wherefore,  in  godly 
faithfulness,  I  counsel  thee  ever  to  keep  thy  tongue 
with  all  diligence,  if  thou  wouldst  be,  and  call  thyself, 
a  friend  of  God. 

Ofttimes  too  does  the  Evil  One  come  and  seduce 
thee  into  anger  with  a  pious  and  good  man.  If  thou 
utterest  this  bypassing  a  judgment  on  him,  in  thus 
cutting  thyself  off  from  the  fellowship  of  his  love, 
thou  art  also  cut  off  from  participation  in  the  benefits 
of  the  gifts  with  which  God  has  endowed  him,  and 
the  works  of  his  virtue.  Of  this  brotherly  fellowship 
the  Psalmist  says  :  "  It  is  Uke  the  precious  ointment 
upon  the  head,  that  ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even 
Aaron's  beard,  that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his 
garments."  Now  the  beard  has  many  hairs,  and 
the  precious  ointment  flows  into  them  all ;  but  if 
one  hair  be  cut  off,  it  receives  none  of  this  precious 
ointment.  In  like  manner,  so  long  as  thou  hast  a 
whole  and  undivided  love  towards  all  men,  a  share 
of  the  virtues  and  divine  influences  bestowed  upon 


364  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

all  flows  out  unto  thee  through  this  love.  But  I 
tell  thee,  if  thou  dost  sever  any  one  from  this  spirit 
of  universal  love,  thou  wilt  not  receive  the  precious 
benefits  of  the  outflo wings  of  love.  Wherefore  give 
diligent  and  earnest  heed  to  yourselves  in  this  matter 
of  divine  love,  and  maintain  a  hearty  good-will  to- 
wards all  men,  and  bear  no  grudge  against  any,  and 
despoil  not  the  sacred  temple  of  God,  which  has 
been  sanctified  by  our  highest  pontiff,  Christ ;  and 
beware  that  ye  do  not  call  down  upon  your  heads 
God's  everlasting  Interdict.  But,  alas  !  now-a-days, 
nature  is  so  perverted  in  many,  both  clergy  and  lay- 
men, as  touching  brotherly  faithfulness  and  love, 
that  if  they  see  their  neighbour  fall,  they  laugh  at 
him,  or  stand  by  and  let  it  go  on,  and  care  nought 
for  it.  Take  heed  to  your  failings,  and  look  how  it 
stands  with  your  inward  love  to  God  and  your  neigh- 
bour, and  keep  ever  alive  within  you  the  fear  of  God ; 
for  I  tell  you  that  that  which  you  fail  to  obtain  here 
through  your  own  neglect,  you  will  lose  for  ever. 
After  this  life  nothing  will  be  added  to  you  or  taken 
from  you,  but  ye  shall  receive  according  to  that  ye 
have  deserved,  whether  it  be  good  or  whether  it  be 
evil.  I  tell  you  that  then,  though  our  Lady  and  all 
the  saints  should  intercede  for  a  man  with  tears  of 
blood,  it  would  not  help  him.  Therefore  give  heed 
to  yourselves  ;  for  now  God  is  alway  at  hand,  waiting 
for  us,  and  ready  to  give  us  much  more  than  we  are 
ready  to  desire  of  Him.  St  Paul  says,  Love  never 
faileth,  it  doeth  all  things,  and  endureth  all  things. 
Therefore  seeing  that  the  love  of  God  is  never  stand- 
ing idle,  so  be  ye  constantly  abounding  in  good 
works,  enduring  all  that  befalls  you  cheerfully,  for 
God's  sake.    And  then  shall  ye  be  made  partakers  of 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  365 

the  overflowing  measure,  which  is  so  full,  so  rich, 
so  generous,  that  it  runneth  over  on  all  sides. 

God  touches  this  brimming  vessel  with  His  finger, 
and  it  overflows,  and  pours  itself  back  again  into  its 
Divine  source,  from  whence  it  has  proceeded.  It 
flows  back  into  its  source  without  channel  or  means, 
and  loses  itself  altogether  ;  will,  knowledge,  love, 
perception,  are  all  swallowed  up  and  lost  in  God,  and 
become  one  with  Him.  Now  God  loveth  Himself  in 
these  men,  and  worketh  in  them  all  their  works. 
The  gush  and  outflowing  of  this  love  cannot  be  con- 
tained within  the  man's  own  soul,  but  he  hath  a 
yearning  desire,  and  saith  :  "  Oh  !  my  beloved  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  I  beseech  Thee  to  have  compassion 
upon  poor  sinners,  and  to  forgive  them  their  sins 
and  misdoings  ;  and  especially  upon  those  who,  after 
having  done  good  works,  have  lost  the  same  again 
by  reason  of  sin  ;  and  grant  them,  dear  Lord,  the 
crumbs  that  fall  from  the  rich  table  of  Thy  grace  ; 
and  of  Thy  goodness  turn  them  from  their  sins 
through  the  pains  of  purification,  and  impart  unto 
them  the  overflowings  of  Thy  grace,  that  through 
Thy  merits  they  may  be  kept  unto  the  end."  Thus 
do  these  Elect  men  carry  up  all  things,  themselves 
and  all  creatures,  to  their  true  source  in  God,  and 
take  all  things  that  are  done  in  the  holy  Christian 
Church,  and  offer  them  up,  from  a  joyful,  humble, 
submissive  heart,  to  their  eternal,  heavenly  Father, 
for  themselves  and  for  all  men,  bad  and  good  ;  for 
their  love  excludes  none  here  in  this  time  of  grace, 
and  they  are  always  in  unity  with  all  men.  No 
love  or  blessedness  that  the  saints  or  angels  possess 
is  lost  to  them,  but  all  is  poured  into  their 
measure. 


366  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Verily,  had  we  none  of  these  godlike  men  among 
us  at  this  present  time,  we  were  doubtless  in  evil 
case.  Therefore  let  us  all  beseech  the  God  of  all 
mercy,  that  we  may  fulfil  and  receive  again  this 
measure  that  runneth  over.     Amen. 


XXI 

Sermon  for  the  Tenth  Sunday 
after  Trinity 

(From  the  Epistle  for  the  day) 

Admonishing  each  man  to  mark  what  is  the  office  to 
which  he  is  called  of  God,  and  teaching  us  to 
practise  works  of  love  and  virtue,  and  to  refrain 
from  self-will. 

I  Cor.  xii.  6. — "There  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same 
God  which  worketh  all  in  all." 

ST.  PAUL  tells  us  in  this  Epistle  that  there 
are  different  kinds  of  works,  but  that  they 
are  all  wrought  by  the  same  Spirit  to  the  profit 
and  well-being  of  man.  For  they  all  proceed  from 
the  same  God  who  works  all  in  all.  "  But  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal.  For  to  one  is  given  by  the  spirit  the  word 
of  wisdom,  to  another  faith  ;  "  and  so  Paul  goes  on 
enumerating  many  gifts  ;  but  repeats  that  "  all  these 
worketh  that  one  and  the  self-same  Spirit,  dividing 
to  every  man  severally  as  He  will."  And  he  says 
many  things  for  the  confirmation  of  our  faith. 

In  old  times  the  Holy  Ghost  has  wrought  very 
great  and  wondrous  deeds  through  his  servants  for  a 


368  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

testimony  to  the  faith,  having  given  us  great  signs 
by  the  raising  up  such  a  succession  of  prophets,  and 
by  the  blood  of  His  saints,  and  thus  suffering  unto 
death.  For  this  kind  of  testimonies  there  is  no 
longer  any  need.  Yet,  know  that  of  true,  hving, 
active  faith,  there  is,  alas,  as  little  in  some  Christian 
men  as  in  Heathens  or  Jews  ! 

Now  let  us  meditate  on  these  words  of  St.  Paul : 
"  There  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same 
God  which  worketh  all  in  all."  Children,  if  you 
look  around  you,  you  see  that  you  have  bodies,  and 
that  these  bodies  have  many  members  and  many 
senses,  and  that  each  member,  such  as  the  eye,  the 
mouth,  the  nose,  the  hands,  the  feet,  has  its  own 
special  office  and  work.  No  one  of  these  takes  upon 
itself  to  be  another,  nor  to  do  anything  but  what 
God  has  ordained  unto  it.  In  like  manner,  we  are 
all  one  body,  and  members  one  of  another,  and  Christ 
is  the  head  of  the  body.  In  this  body  there  is  a 
great  diversity  of  members  ;  the  one  is  an  eye,  the 
other  an  ear,  the  third  a  hand  or  a  foot  or  a  mouth. 
The  eyes  of  the  body  of  the  holy  Christian  Church 
are  her  teachers.  This  office  is  none  of  yours  ;  but 
let  us  common  Christians  look  to  see  what  is  our 
office,  to  the  which  our  Lord  has  called  and  bidden 
us,  and  what  is  the  gift  of  which  our  Lord  has  made 
us  the  vessels.  For  every  art  or  work,  however 
unimportant  it  may  seem,  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  all 
these  gifts  are  bestowed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  for  the 
profit  and  welfare  of  man. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  lowest.  One  can  spin, 
another  can  make  shoes,  and  some  have  great  aptness 
for  all  sorts  of  outward  arts,  so  that  they  can  earn  a 
great  deal,  while  others  are  altogether  without  this 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  369 

quickness.  These  are  all  gifts  proceeding  from  the 
Spirit  of  God.  If  I  were  not  a  priest,  but  were  living 
as  a  layman,  I  should  take  it  as  a  great  favour  that 
I  knew  how  to  make  shoes,  and  should  try  to 
make  them  better  than  any  one  else,  and  would 
gladly  earn  my  bread  by  the  labour  of  my  hands. 
Children,  the  foot  or  the  hand  must  not  desire  to  be 
the  eye.  Each  must  fulfil  the  office  for  which  God 
has  fitted  him,  however  weighty  it  may  be,  and  what 
another  could  not  easily  do.  Also  our  sisters  shall 
each  have  her  own  office.  Some  have  sweet  voices  ; 
let  them  sing  in  the  Churches,  for  this  also  comes 
from  the  Spirit  of  God.  St.  Augustine  says  :  "  God 
is  a  homogeneous,  divine,  simple  substance,  and  yet 
the  Author  of  all  variety,  and  is  all  in  all,  one  in  all, 
and  all  in  one."  There  is  no  work  so  small,  no  art 
so  mean,  but  it  all  comes  from  God  and  is  a  special 
gift  of  His.  Thus,  let  each  do  that  which  another 
cannot  do  so  well,  and  for  love,  returning  gift  for 
gift.  Know  ye,  whoever  does  not  exercise  his  gift, 
nor  impart  it,  nor  make  use  of  it  for  the  profit  of  his 
neighbour,  lays  up  a  heavy  reckoning  against  the 
last  day.  For,  as  Christ  tells  us,  a  man  must  give 
account  of  his  stewardship,  or  his  office.  Each 
shall  and  must  restore  that  which  he  has  received 
of  God,  and  is  answerable  in  proportion  to  his  advan- 
tages over  others,  and  the  measure  of  the  ability 
which  God  has  given  him. 

Whence  comes  it  then,  that  we  have  so  many  com- 
plaints, each  saying  that  his  occupation  is  a  hind- 
rance to  him,  while  notwithstanding  his  work  is  of 
God,  who  hindereth  no  man  ?  Whence  comes  this 
inward  reproof  and  sense  of  guilt  which  torment  and 
disquiet  you  ?     Dear  children,  know  that  it  is  not 

2  A 


370  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

your  work  which  gives  you  this  disquiet.  No  :  it 
is  your  want  of  order  in  fulfilling  your  work.  If  you 
performed  your  work  in  the  right  method,  with  a  sole 
aim  to  God,  and  not  to  yourselves,  your  own  likes 
and  dislikes,  and  neither  feared  nor  loved  aught  but 
God,  nor  sought  your  own  gain  or  pleasure,  but  only 
God's  glory,  in  your  work,  it  would  be  impossible 
that  it  should  grieve  your  conscience.  It  is  a  shame 
for  a  spiritual  man,  if  he  have  not  done  his  work 
properly,  but  so  imperfectly  that  he  has  to  be  rebuked 
for  it.  For  this  is  a  sure  sign  that  his  works  are  not 
done  in  God,  with  a  view  to  His  glory  and  the  good  of 
his  neighbour.  You  may  know  and  be  known  by  this, 
whether  your  works  are  directed  to  God  alone,  and 
whether  you  are  in  peace  or  not.  Our  Lord  did  not 
rebuke  Martha  on  account  of  her  works,  for  they  were 
holy  and  good  ;  He  reproved  her  on  account  of  her 
anxiety.  A  man  ought  to  busy  himself  in  good  and 
useful  occupations  of  whatever  kind  they  may  be, 
casting  his  care  upon  God,  and  labour  silently  and 
watchfully,  keeping  a  rein  upon  himself,  and  proving 
himself,  so  as  to  sift  what  it  is  that  urges  and  impels 
him  in  his  work.  Further,  he  must  look  within,  and 
mark  whether  the  Holy  Spirit  will  have  him  to  be 
active  or  quiet ;  that  he  may  obey  His  godly  lead- 
ings in  each  instance,  and  do  and  have  undone  by 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  now  resting, 
now  working,  but  ever  fulfilling  his  due  task  in 
peace. 

And  wherever  you  see  the  aged,  the  sick,  the  help- 
less, you  should  run  to  their  assistance,  and  strive 
with  each  other  in  fulfilhng  works  of  love — each  help- 
ing the  other  to  bear  his  burden.  If  thou  dost  not  so, 
be  sure  that  God  will  take  thy  work  from  thee,  and 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  37^ 

give  it  to  another  who  will  do  it  aright,  and  will  leave 
thee  empty  and  bare  at  once  of  gifts  and  of  merit. 

If,  when  at  thy  work,  thou  feel  thy  spirit  stirred 
within  thee,  receive  it  with  solemn  joy,  and  thus 
learn  to  do  thy  work  in  God,  instead  of  straightway 
fleeing  from  thy  task.  Thus  should  ye  learn  to 
exercise  yourselves  in  virtue  ;  for  ye  must  be  exer- 
cised if  ye  are  to  come  to  God.  Do  not  expect  that 
God  will  pour  \artue  into  you  without  your  own 
effort.  You  should  never  trust  in  virtue  that  has 
not  yet  been  put  into  practice,  nor  beheve  that  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  have  entered  into  a 
man,  unless  the  man  hath  given  evidence  thereof 
in  his  own  labours,  outward  or  inward.  Once  as  a 
good  man  was  standing,  threshing  his  com,  he  fell 
into  a  trance  ;  and  if  an  angel  had  not  turned  aside 
the  flail,  he  would  have  struck  himself  with  it. 
Now  ye  are  all  craving  to  be  thus  set  free  from  your 
work,  and  this  comes,  for  the  most  part,  from  sloth  ; 
each  would  fain  be  an  eye,  and  give  himself  to 
contemplation  rather  than  to  work. 

I  know  a  man  who  has  the  closest  walk  with  God 
of  any  I  ever  saw,  and  who  has  been  all  his  life  a 
husbandman, — for  more  than  forty  years,  and  is  so 
still.  This  man  once  asked  the  Lord  in  prayer  if  he 
should  give  up  his  occupation  and  go  into  the 
Church  ;  and  it  was  answered  him.  No  ;  he  should 
labour,  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow, 
to  the  glory  of  Christ's  precious  blood,  shed  for  him. 
But  let  each  choose  some  suitable  time  in  the  course 
of  every  four-and-twenty  hours,  in  which  he  can 
give  his  whole  mind  to  earnest  meditation,  each 
after  his  own  fashion.  Those  nobler  men  who  are 
able  to  turn  to  God  simply  without  the  aid  of  images 


372  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

or  forms,  shall  do  so  after  their  fashion,  and  others 
after  theirs.  Let  each  set  apart  a  good  hour  for 
such  exercises,  each  taking  his  own  method  ;  for 
we  cannot  all  be  eyes  ;  but  to  our  life's  end  it  is  most 
needful  for  us  to  keep  up  some  strenuous  exercises 
of  piety,  of  whatever  kind  God  may  appoint,  with 
loving  and  peaceful  hearts,  and  in  obedience  to  His 
will.  He  who  serves  God  after  God's  will  shall  be 
rewarded  according  to  his  own  will ;  but  he  who 
prays  to  God  according  to  his  own  will  shall  not  be 
answered  in  accordance  with  his  own  will,  but  after 
God's  will. 

Children,  it  is  of  this  coming  out  from  our  own  self- 
will,  that  the  true,  solid  peace  is  begotten  and  springs 
forth,  and  it  is  the  fruit  of  long-tried  virtue.  Unless 
thy  peace  come  from  this,  be  sure  that  it  is  false  ; 
for  inwardly  and  outwardly  thou  must  be  exercised. 
But  the  peace  that  comes  from  within  none  can  take 
away.  Now  some  foolish  men,  who  are  puffed  up 
in  their  own  conceit,  come  and  say  that  ye  ought 
to  do  this  and  that,  and  want  to  direct  every  man's 
mind  according  to  their  own  opinion  and  their  own 
notions  and  practices.  And  many  of  them  have 
lived  for  forty  years  in  the  profession  of  religion,  and 
to  this  day  do  not  know  what  is  their  own  real  state. 
They  are  much  bolder  than  I.  I  hold  the  office  of  an 
instructor  ;  and  when  people  come  and  consult  me,  I 
inquire  how  it  stands  with  them,  and  how  they  came 
into  this  state.  Yet  I  dare  not  pass  a  judgment  on 
them  ;  but  I  lay  their  case  before  the  Lord,  and  if 
He  does  not  give  me  what  I  shall  speak,  I  say  to 
them  :  Dear  children,  seek  help  yourselves  from 
God,  and  He  will  give  it  you.  But  you  want  to  j  udge 
and  set  an  estimate  on  every  man,  trying  him  by  the 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  373 

standard  of  your  own  usages  and  conceits.  Thus  it 
is  that  the  worms  get  in  and  devour  the  good  saphngs 
that  were  shooting  up  in  God's  garden. — Then  they 
say,  "  We  have  no  such  custom  ;  this  is  an  inno- 
vation, and  comes  from  the  new  notions,"  and  never 
reflect  that  the  hidden  ways  of  God  are  unknown 
to  them.  Alas !  what  strange  things  do  we  see 
among  those  who  fancy  themselves  in  an  excellent 
way ! 

Now  St.  Paul  says,  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  His 
operations,  teaches  us  the  discerning  of  spirits. 
Children,  who  do  you  suppose  are  the  men  to  whom 
God  gives  this  power  of  discerning  the  spirits  ? 
Know  ye,  that  the  men  who  have  this  gift  have  been 
thoroughly  exercised  in  all  ways  :  by  their  own  flesh 
and  blood,  and  have  gone  through  the  most  cruel 
and  perplexing  temptations  :  and  the  devil  has  been 
in  them,  and  they  in  him,  and  they  have  been  tried 
and  tested  to  the  very  marrow  ;  these  are  the  men 
who  can  discern  the  spirits.  When  they  are  minded 
to  do  this,  they  consider  a  man,  and  straightway 
they  discern  his  spirit,  whether  it  be  of  God  or  no, 
and  what  are  the  nearest  roads  of  access  for  him, 
and  what  is  holding  him  back  from  God.  Oh  !  how 
greatly  to  our  hurt  do  we  fall  short  of  the  noblest, 
highest  truth  through  such  trifling,  mean  things ; 
for  the  sake  of  which  we  must  suffer  loss  for  ever  and 
ever,  so  long  as  God  is  eternal.  For  what  we  here 
miss  through  our  own  neglect  will  never  be  made 
up  to  us  hereafter.  But  may  God  help  all  of  us 
truly  to  fulfil  the  offices  and  works  which  His  Spirit 
has  committed  to  us  and  taught  us  to  perform,  each 
doing  as  he  is  inwardly  monished  by  the  Holy 
Ghost !     Amen. 


XXII 

Sermon  for  the  Twelfth  Sunday 
after  Trinity 

(From  the  Epistle  for  the  day) 

Teaching  us  that  we  ought  to  receive  God,  in  all  His 
gifts,  and  in  all  His  burdens,  with  true  long» 
suffering. 

2  Cor.  iii.  6. — "  The  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life." 

THERE  are  two  sorts  of  men  among  God's 
friends ;  those  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
those  of  the  New.  All  the  men  who  should  be 
saved  before  the  birth  of  Christ  had  to  observe 
the  old  dispensation  with  all  its  rites,  until  the  new 
dispensation  came  with  its  laws  and  its  rites.  The 
old  law  served  as  a  way  unto  the  new,  and  was  a  per- 
fect foreshadowing  of  it.  And  this  new  law  we  have 
under  our  very  eyes,  but  it  was  the  old  law  that 
prepared  us  to  receive  it.  And  everything  that  is 
meant  to  receive  somewhat  must  first  be  made  able 
to  receive.  The  old  law  had  many  intolerable 
burdens,  and  terrible  judgments  for  offenders,  and 
a  far  sterner  manifestation  of  the  justice  of  God, 
with  a  dark,  distant  hope  of  redemption.  For  five 
thousand  years  the  gates  were   altogether  closed 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  375 

against  those  who  lived  under  the  Old  Covenant ;  so 
that,  with  all  their  pain  and  weary  ceremonies,  they 
could  not  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God,  but  had 
to  wait  long  in  gloom  and  sorrow  for  the  coming  of 
the  new  law,  which  is  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Now  he  who  would  come  to  the  new  law  with 
fuU  assurance  of  faith  must  first  be  made  at  one  with 
the  old.  Man  must  learn  to  suffer,  and  to  bear  heavy 
burdens,  and  to  bow  down  humbly  beneath  the 
mighty  hand  of  God  ;  he  must  be  afflicted  outwardly 
and  inwardly,  from  wheresoever  his  pain  cometh, 
and  whether  it  be  deserved  or  not. 

Dear  children,  behold  !  this  thing  must  be  brought 
to  pass  after  a  very  different  fashion  from  what  you 
like  to  dream  ;  but  hold  fast  the  doctrine  of  God,  and 
let  him  who  hath  received  it  be  wise,  and  hold  it  fast 
as  long  as  he  hath  it.  But  submit  and  endure  God's 
dealings  in  all  that  befalls  you,  through  whomsoever 
it  may  come.  If  you  would  come  to  the  new  law, 
you  must  first  suffer  under  the  old  one,  and  be  subject 
to  it  in  the  humility  of  your  hearts.  So,  whatever 
consolation  may  be  granted  you,  spiritual  or  earthly, 
it  will  not  follow  you  all  your  course  through.  And 
you  must  travel  this  road  and  no  other  ;  turn  it 
which  way  you  will,  it  must  be  even  so.  Therefore, 
dear  children,  learn  to  do  without  the  Holy  Sacra- 
ments, spiritual  light,  the  sense  of  God's  presence, 
and  all  human  help.  Dearly  beloved,  bow  down 
your  old  man  under  the  yoke  of  the  old  law,  with  all 
meekness  and  resignation,  and  receive  all  God's  gifts 
with  all  their  burdens.  Of  a  truth.  His  burdens  are 
light  and  His  yoke  is  easy.  Children,  I  commend 
you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  into  the  captivity 
of  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  that  it  may  be 


376  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

in  you,  over  you,  behind  you,  and  before  you,  lying 
heavy  on  you,  and  yet  received  by  you  with  free 
and  full  acquiescence  to  the  will  of  God,  whatever 
it  may  please  Him  to  do  with  you.  May  God,  of 
His  mercy,  give  you  to  bear  with  a  good  courage  all 
the  sorrow  that  is  before  you,  and  also,  when  ye  are 
despised  of  all  men,  and  slandered,  and  counted  for 
nought.  Thus  let  your  old  man  be  subject  unto  the 
old  law,  until  Christ  be  bom  in  you  of  a  truth,  where 
peace  and  joy  in  the  truth  do  spring  up.  The 
patriarchs,  greatly  as  they  longed  to  see  the  advent 
of  our  Lord,  yet  had  to  wait  five  thousand  years. 
But,  verily,  if  you  would  thus  humbly  yield  your- 
selves up,  you  need  never  wait  a  year.  If  you  had 
had  a  quartan  ague  one  year  or  two,  you  must  bear 
it  till  you  became  weU  again  ;  so  you  must  bear  the 
yoke  of  the  old  law. 

The  second  burden  of  the  old  law  was  its  awful 
judgments,  and  stern  display  of  God's  justice.  This 
is  manifested  in  many  ways — by  afflictions  and  by 
the  gnawings  of  conscience.  Now  some  try  to  work 
themselves  out  of  this  by  confession.  But  if  you  were 
to  confess  your  sins  a  thousand  times,  it  would  avail 
you  nothing,  save  indeed  the  confessing  of  mortal 
sin,  accompanied  by  satisfaction  for  it.  The  rest 
leave  humbly  to  God,  and  bear  what  He  appoints 
unto  you,  till  He  of  His  mercy  send  you  relief.  But 
confess  all  to  Him  inwardly  in  your  soul,  to  the  very 
last  tittle,  with  humble  submission  to  His  will,  and 
acquiescing  in  His  unknown  judgments,  without 
looking  to  yourself  or  to  other  men  for  help.  Mean- 
while there  are  some  who  endeavour  to  get  rid  of 
the  burden  of  sin  by  asking  counsel  and  hearing 
preachers,  hoping  to  hear  somewhat  that  may  afford 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  yjl 

them  a  stay,  and  thus  they  may  find  deliverance. 
Behold,  dear  friend,  if  thou  spend  all  thy  years  in 
running  from  church  to  church,  thou  must  look  for 
and  receive  help  from  within,  or  thou  wilt  never  come 
to  any  good  ;  however  thou  mayest  seek  and  inquire, 
thou  must  also  be  willing  to  be  tormented  without 
succour  from  the  outward  help  of  any  creature.  I 
teU  you,  children,  that  the  very  holiest  man  I  ever 
saw  in  outward  conduct  and  inward  life,  had  never 
heard  more  than  five  sermons  in  all  his  days.  When 
he  saw  and  perceived  how  the  matter  stood,  he 
thought  that  was  enough,  and  set  to  work  to  die 
to  that  to  which  he  ought  to  die,  and  live  to  that  to 
which  he  ought  to  live.  Let  the  common  people 
run  about  and  hear  all  they  can,  that  they  may  not 
fall  into  despair  or  unbelief  ;  but  know  that  all  who 
would  be  God's,  inwardly  and  outwardly,  turn  to 
themselves,  and  retire  within.  And  know  that  if 
ever  you  desire  to  be  spiritual  and  blessed  men,  you 
must  cease  from  running  outwards  for  help,  and  turn 
within  ;  for  you  will  never  get  what  you  want  by  a 
multitude  of  words,  hear  as  many  as  you  will ;  but 
only  by  loving  and  serving  God  from  the  bottom  of 
your  heart,  and  your  neighbour  as  yourself,  and  leav- 
ing all  things  to  stand  on  their  own  foundation. 
But  pant  after  God  with  all  your  heart,  as  the  holy 
patriarchs  did,  and  covet  that  which  you  truly  ought 
to  covet,  and  leave  all  things,  whether  concerning 
yourself  or  any  other  creatures,  to  God's  most 
blessed  will. 

The  third  characteristic  of  the  old  law  was  that  it 
had  a  dark  hope  of  a  distant  redemption  ;  for  the 
gates  were  closed,  and  there  was  no  prophet  who 
could  tell  when  the  redemption  might  come  to  pass. 


378  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

So  likewise  must  we  simply  commit  ourselves  to  God 
with  perfect  trust  in  His  eternal  purpose  ;  for  when 
He  pleases  that  it  shall  be  accompHshed  to  our  wait- 
ing souls,  then,  no  doubt,  He  will  come  to  us,  and 
be  bom  in  us.  But  when  ?  Leave  that  to  Him  :  to 
some  He  comes  in  their  youth  ;  to  others  in  old 
age  ;  to  some  in  death  :  this  leave  to  His  Divine  will, 
and  do  not  take  upon  thyself  to  adopt  any  singular 
exercises,  but  keep  the  Commandments,  and  beheve 
the  articles  of  the  Christian  faith.  Learn  the  Creed 
and  the  Commandments,  and  have  patience,  and  give 
up  thyself  in  all  things  according  to  the  wiU  of  God, 
and  assuredly  Christ,  the  new  law,  wiU  be  bom  in 
thee  with  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  thou 
wilt  have  a  Hfe  like  that  of  the  angels,  in  freedom 
from  the  bonds  of  matter  and  in  intelligence.  This 
seems  to  thee  a  great  thing  !  No  ;  the  truth  is  much 
greater.  "  The  Spirit  giveth  life  ;  " — a  spark  of  His 
own  Divine  Hfe,  which  is  higher  than  all  angelic 
life,  and  passes  man's  comprehension,  lying  beyond 
the  sphere  of  sense  and  of  reason.  But  this  must 
come  to  pass  in  the  way  that  I  have  told  you,  and 
no  other.  A  man  may,  indeed,  attain  so  far  as  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  this  glorious  truth,  and  play  upon 
the  surface  of  it  with  his  sense  and  reason ;  but  to 
become  and  be  such  an  one,  to  this  none  can  attain 
but  by  this  path  of  true  self-surrender  ;  but  through 
that  assuredly  it  will  be  found. 

In  the  Old  Testament  the  Levites  bare  the  ark, 
but  here  the  holy  ark  bears  us.  Thus,  whoso  will 
not  yield  to  God  in  His  justice  and  His  judgments, 
without  doubt  he  shall  fall  under  God's  etemal 
justice  and  etemal  condemnation  ;  it  cannot  be 
otherwise.    Turn  it  as  thou  wilt,  thou  must  give 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  379 

thyself  to  suffer  "what  is  appointed  thee.  But  if 
we  did  that,  God  would  bear  us  up  at  all  times  in  all 
our  sorrows  and  troubles,  and  God  would  lay  His 
shoulder  under  our  burdens,  and  help  us  to  bear 
them.  For  if  with  a  cheerful  courage  we  submitted 
ourselves  to  God,  no  suffering  would  be  unbearable. 
For  it  is  because  now  we  are  without  God,  and  stand- 
ing in  our  own  weakness,  that  we  are  neither  able 
to  endure  nor  yet  to  act.  God  help  us  all  worthily 
to  bear  His  yoke  !     Amen. 


XXIII 

Second  Sermon  for  the  Twelfth 
Sunday  after  Trinity 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

This  sermon  tells  us  how  a  man  who  truly  loves  Gody 
whose  ears  have  been  opened  to  receive  the  seven- 
fold gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  neither  lifted  up 
in  joy  nor  cast  down  in  sorrow. 

Mark  vii.  37. — "  He  hath  done  all  things  well :  He  maketh  both  the 
deaf  to  hear  and  the  dumb  to  speak." 

WE  read  in  the  Gospel  for  this  day,  that  as  our 
blessed  Lord  was  going  from  one  place  to 
another,  they  brought  unto  Him  a  man  who 
was  bom  deaf  and  dumb  ;  as  must  needs  be  ;  for 
he  who  is  bom  deaf  must  also  be  dumb ;  for  since 
he  has  never  heard,  he  does  not  know  what  speech 
is.  The  Lord  put  His  fingers  into  the  ears  of  this 
deaf  man,  and  touched  his  tongue  with  His  spittle, 
and  said,  "  Be  opened."  And  when  the  people  saw 
what  was  done,  they  came  together  and  wondered 
at  the  miracle  ;  saying  :  "He  hath  done  all  things 
well ;  He  maketh  both  the  deaf  to  hear  and  the 
dumb  to  speak." 

Children,  it  behoves  us  greatly  to  mark  what  it  is 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  381 

that  makes  men  deaf,  like  the  man  in  the  Gospel. 
From  the  time  that  the  first  man  opened  his  ears  to 
the  voice  of  the  Enemy,  he  became  deaf  thereby,  and 
all  we  after  him,  so  that  we  cannot  hear  or  under- 
stand the  sweet  voice  of  the  Eternal  Word.  Yet  we 
know  that  the  Eternal  Word  is  still  so  unutterably 
nigh  to  us  inwardly,  in  the  very  principle  of  our  being, 
that  not  even  man  himself,  his  own  nature,  his  own 
thoughts,  nor  aught  that  can  be  named,  or  said,  or 
understood,  is  so  nigh  or  planted  so  deep  within  him, 
as  the  Eternal  Word  is  in  man.  And  it  is  ever  speak- 
ing in  man  ;  but  he  hears  it  not  by  reason  of  the  sore 
deafness  that  has  come  upon  him.  Whose  fault  is 
this  ?  I  say  that  something  has  covered  man's  ears, 
and  stopped  them  up  that  he  may  not  hear  this 
Word ;  and  his  sense  is  so  benumbed  that  he  has 
become  dumb,  not  knowing  his  own  self.  If  he 
desired  to  speak  of  what  is  within  him,  he  could  not ; 
for  he  does  not  know  how  it  stands  with  him,  nor  dis- 
cern his  own  ways  and  works.  The  cause  whereof 
is  that  the  Enemy  has  whispered  in  his  ear,  and  he 
has  hstened  to  the  voice,  and  hence  has  he  grown 
deaf  and  dumb.  What  is  this  most  hurtful  whisper- 
ing of  the  Enemy  ?  It  is  every  disorderly  image 
or  suggestion  that  starts  up  in  thy  mind,  whether 
belonging  to  thy  creature  hkings  and  wishes,  or  the 
world  and  the  things  thereof  ;  whether  it  be  thy 
wealth,  reputation,  friends  or  relations,  or  thy 
own  flesh,  or  whatever  it  be  that  lays  hold  of 
thy  fancy,  making  thee  to  hke  or  do  somewhat. 
Through  all  these  he  has  his  access  to  thy  soul ;  for 
he  is  ever  at  hand  ;  and  as  he  marks  to  what  a  man 
is  inclined  inwardly  or  outwardly,  what  he  likes  and 
dishkes,  straightway  he  lays  hold  of  it  and  attacks 


382  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

him  with  that  weapon,  and  suggests  what  agrees 
with  that  man's  indination,  and  pours  into  the  ears 
of  his  soul  all  manner  of  imaginations  concerning 
that  thing,  that  the  man  may  not  be  able  to  hear  the 
Eternal  Word.  If  the  man  instantly  turned  his  ears 
and  mind  away  from  the  enemy,  the  assault  would 
be  easily  repulsed,  but  as  soon  as  he  opens  his  ears 
so  far  as  to  dwell  upon  and  dally  with  temptation, 
he  is  already  weU  nigh  conquered,  and  the  strife  is 
at  the  hardest.  But  as  soon  as  thou  hast  bravely 
turned  thy  ear  away,  thou  hast  well  nigh  prevailed  ; 
for  this  enables  thee  to  hear  the  inward  voice  of  the 
Word,  and  takes  away  thy  deafness.  Not  only 
worldly  but  also  religious  men  are  liable  to  this  deaf- 
ness, if  they  make  the  creature  their  idol  and  aim,  and 
their  hearts  are  possessed  therewith.  The  Devil  has 
marked  this,  and  suggests  to  them  the  imaginations 
to  which  he  finds  them  inclined.  With  some  their 
ears  are  stopped  up  with  their  own  inventions,  and 
the  daily  routine  of  habit  with  which  they  go  through 
certain  outward  acts,  learnt  by  means  of  their  senses 
from  the  creatures.  All  this  dulls  a  man's  hearing 
so  that  he  cannot  apprehend  the  Eternal  Word 
speaking  within  him,  nor  in  any  wise  understand 
what  it  says.  It  is  true,  however,  that  we  ought 
to  maintain  the  habit  and  practice  of  works  of  piety, 
though  without  a  spirit  of  self-exaltation  on  account 
of  them,  such  as  prayer,  or  meditation,  or  the  like, 
in  order  that  our  sluggish  nature  may  be  aroused 
into  vigour,  our  minds  raised  on  high,  and  our  hearts 
allured  and  kindled.  But  there  must  be  no  claiming 
to  ourselves  thereof,  but  rather  our  ears  must  be  left 
open  to  listen  to  the  whispers  of  the  Eternal  Word. 
Let  us  not  be  as  some  obstinate  men  who  never  go 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  383 

forward,  but  to  the  day  of  their  death  remain  stand- 
ing on  their  outward  customs,  seeking  for  nothing 
further,  and  when  God  would  say  aught  unto  them, 
there  is  always  something  that  gets  into  their  ears, 
so  that  His  Word  cannot  be  heard.  Children,  at  the 
last  day,  when  all  things  come  to  be  laid  bare  and 
open,  it  will  be  an  everlasting  sorrow  to  think  of  the 
endless  variety  of  these  things  that  have  come  be- 
tween us  and  God,  and  how  we  have  been  entangled 
in  mean  bondage  to  our  own  ways  and  habits. 

Now  the  Word  is  spoken  into  no  man's  ear, 
except  he  have  the  love  of  God  ;  for  Christ  says  : 
"  If  ye  love  me,  hear  my  words."  On  this  point 
says  St.  Gregory  :  "  Wilt  thou  know  whether  thou 
love  God  ?  take  note  when  cares,  troubles,  or 
sorrows  overtake  thee  (from  within  or  from  without, 
whencesoever  they  come),  and  weigh  down  thy 
spirit  so  that  thou  knowest  not  which  way  to  turn, 
nor  what  is  to  become  of  thee,  and  canst  find  no 
counsel  and  art  outwardly  in  a  storm  of  affliction, 
in  unwonted  perplexity  and  sore  distress  ;  if  thou 
then  remainest  inwardly  at  peace  and  unmoved  in 
the  bottom  of  thy  heart,  so  that  thou  dost  not  in 
any  wise  falter,  either  by  complaint,  or  in  word,  or 
work,  or  gesture,  then  there  is  no  doubt  that  thou 
lovest  God."  For  where  there  is  true  love,  a  man 
is  neither  out  of  measure  lifted  up  by  prosperity,  nor 
cast  down  by  mishap  ;  whether  you  give  or  take 
away  from  him,  so  long  as  he  keeps  his  beloved,  he 
has  a  spring  of  inward  peace.  Thus,  even  though 
thy  outward  man  grieve,  or  weep  downright,  that 
may  well  be  borne,  if  only  thy  inner  man  remain  at 
peace,  perfectly  content  with  the  will  of  God.  But 
if  thou  dost  not  find  it  thus  with  thee,  then  thou  art 


384  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

in  truth  deaf,  and  hast  not  really  heard  the  voice 
of  the  Eternal  Word  within  thee. 

Further,  thou  mayest  try  by  this  test  whether  thou 
hast  the  right  sort  of  love  ;  namely,  whether  thou 
hast  a  lively  thankfulness  for  the  great  benefits  which 
God  has  bestowed  upon  thee  and  all  His  creatures  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  and  for  His  holy  Incarnation, 
and  for  all  the  manifold  gifts  which  are  ever  flowing 
out  from  Him  to  all  men.  And  this  thankfulness 
shall  comprehend  all  men,  even  as  it  shall  spring  from 
love  to  all ;  whether  they  be  clergy  or  laymen, 
monks,  nuns,  or  in  whatever  condition  of  life  they  be, 
or  whatever  be  their  conduct,  thou  shalt  cherish  an 
honest,  true  love  for  them,  not  a  concealed  self-love, 
or  self-seeking.  This  real,  universal  love  is  a  source 
of  measureless  benefits.  Know  ye,  children,  that 
where  men  are  true,  glorified  friends  of  God,  their 
hearts  melt  with  tenderness  towards  all  mankind, 
living  or  dead  ;  and  if  there  were  none  such  on  the 
earth,  the  world  were  in  an  evil  plight.  Moreover, 
thou  shalt  let  thy  love  shine  forth  before  men,  so  far 
as  in  thee  lies,  imparting  to  them  of  thy  substance, 
and  giving  them  comfort,  help,  and  counsel.  It  is 
true  that  thou  must  minister  to  thine  own  neces- 
sities ;  but  when  thou  hast  nothing  to  spare,  thy 
love  should  be  still  lively,  wishing  that  thou  hadst 
aught  to  give,  and  ready  to  do  to  the  utmost  of  thy 
power.  These  are  the  true  signs  of  love  and  that 
a  man  is  not  spirtually  deaf. 

Now  when  our  Lord  comes  and  puts  his  finger 
into  a  man's  ear  and  touches  his  tongue,  how 
eloquent  will  he  become !  O  children,  of  this 
wondrous  things  might  be  said  !  But  we  will  now 
consider  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  given  to  man 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  385 

through  this  touch  whereby  the  ears  of  his  mind 
are  opened.  First  is  given  unto  him  the  spirit  of 
fear,  which  has  power  to  rid  him  of  all  self-will,  and 
teaches  him  to  flee  from  temptation,  and  at  all  times 
to  shun  unruly  appetites  and  licence.  Next  is  given 
to  him  the  spirit  of  charity,  which  makes  him  sweet- 
tempered,  kind-hearted,  merciful,  nor  ready  to  pass 
a  harsh  judgment  on  any  one's  conduct,  but  full  of 
tolerance.  Thirdly,  he  receives  the  gift  of  know- 
ledge, so  that  he  understands  the  meaning  of  his 
inward  experience,  and  thus  learns  to  guide  himself 
according  to  the  blessed  will  of  God.  The  fourth 
gift  is  Divine  strength  :  through  this  gift  such  Divine 
might  is  imparted  unto  him,  that,  with  Paul,  it 
becomes  a  small  and  easy  matter  to  him  to  do  or  bear 
all  things  through  God  who  strengtheneth  him.  The 
fifth  is  the  gift  of  good  counsel,  which  all  those  who 
follow  become  gentle  and  loving.  Lastly,  come  two 
great  gifts,  understanding  and  the  wisdom  of  insight, 
which  are  so  sublime  and  glorious,  that  it  is  better 
to  seek  to  experience  them  than  to  speak  thereof. 
That  our  ears  may  thus  be  opened  of  a  truth,  that 
the  Eternal  Word  may  be  heard  in  us,  may  God 
grant  us  !     Amen  ! 


2B 


XXIV 

Sermon  for  the  Fifteenth  Sunday 
after  Trinity 

(From  the  Gospel  for  the  day) 

This  sermon  forUddeth  all  carefulness,  and  telleth  in 
what  righteousness  consisteth,  and  rebukes  sundry 
religious  people  and  their  works,  likening  their 
ways  to  simony. 

Matt.  vi.  33. — "  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

IN  this  passage,  the  Son  of  God  gives  us  a 
simiUtude,  bidding  man,  who  is  a  reasonable 
creature,  to  look  at  the  flowers  that  deck  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  at  the  unreasoning  fowls  of 
the  air,  saying  :  "  Consider  the  luies  of  the  field,  how 
they  grow  ;  they  toil  not,  they  spin  not ;  and  yet 
I  say  unto  you  that  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these  !  "  "  Behold  the  fowls 
of  the  air,  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap, 
nor  gather  into  bams  ;  yet  your  Heavenly  Father 
feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they  ?  " 
"  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  take  no  thought,  saying. 
What  shall  we  eat,  or  what  shall  we  drink,  or  where- 
withal shall  we  be  clothed  ?  For  after  all  these  things 
do  the  Gentiles  seek  :  for  your  Heavenly  Father 
knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things.     But 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  387 

seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteous- 
ness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 
Children,  once  before,  the  Son  of  God  had  said 
that  no  man  could  serve  two  masters,  that  is  to  say, 
God  and  Mammon,  or  the  riches  of  this  world  ;  for 
he  must  love  the  one,  and  hate  the  other.  It  is  in- 
deed a  wonder  passing  our  understanding  how  much 
is  comprehended  in  these  words.  We  ought  to  set 
them  up  before  our  eyes  as  a  mirror,  and  let  them  be 
our  constant  motto.  How  clearly  does  Christ  here 
instruct  us  in  the  truth  with  plain  unvarnished  words 
and  pertinent  figures,  when,  forbidding  us  to  be 
anxious  about  earthly  and  perishable  things,  he  says  : 
"  Which  of  you  by  taking  thought  can  add  one  cubit 
unto  his  stature  ?  Therefore,  ye  of  little  faith,  seek 
not  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink  ;  neither 
be  ye  of  doubtful  mind."  Children,  ye  see  well  by 
this  discourse  how  far  we  all  are  in  common  from 
living  according  to  the  simple  truth  of  things,  in  all 
our  earthly  relationships.  But  know  that  there  is  an 
inward  secret  defect  lurking  under  the  cloak  of  our 
anxiety  about  daily  things,  a  sinful,  though  uncon- 
scious covetousness,  which  is  one  of  the  seven  deadly 
sins.  And  this  sin,  working  silently  and  unperceived 
in  the  hearts  both  of  worldly  and  religious  people,  is 
the  cause  of  the  greatest  evils  that  afflict  this  earth. 
Let  each,  for  instance,  only  mark  narrowly,  in  himself 
and  others,  the  marvels  of  labour  and  ingenuity 
invented  and  wrought  on  all  sides,  each  striving  to 
outdo  his  fellow  for  the  sake  of  earthly  gain.  If 
we  were  to  probe  to  the  bottom  the  workings  of  this 
false  principle  in  worldly  and  in  religious  people,  it 
could  hardly  be  told  how  deeply  its  roots  have  struck, 
and  how  widely  they  have  spread  below  the  surface. 


388  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Think  what  it  impUes  to  have  so  Httle  confidence  in 
that  God  who  is  able  to  do  all  things,  when  ye  are 
striving,  and  toiling,  and  wearing  yourselves  out  with 
anxiety,  as  if  you  meant  to  live  for  ever.  All  this 
comes  from  that  evil  principle  of  covetousness.  If 
one  really  looked  into  the  matter,  it  were  frightful  to 
see  how  man  seeks  his  own  ends  and  not  his  neigh- 
bour's good,  in  all  things  Divine  and  human  ;  his 
own  pleasure,  or  profit,  or  glory,  by  all  his  words  and 
works — nay,  even  gifts  and  services.  Children,  this 
great  sin  is  so  deeply  rooted  in  many,  that  every 
corner  of  their  heart  is  full  of  earthly,  perishable 
things,  and  they  are  just  like  the  crooked  woman  we 
read  of  in  the  Gospel,  who  was  bent  down  to  the 
earth  by  her  infirmity,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  her- 
self up,  or  raise  her  eyes  above  the  ground. 

Thou  poor  blind  man,  spiritual  in  outward  vesture 
but  not  in  reality,  why  shouldst  thou  not  trust  that 
the  God  who  has  done  thee  so  great  a  benefit  in  re- 
deeming thee  from  the  carking  cares  of  this  false, 
wicked  world,  that  He  is  also  willing  to  give  thee 
such  poor  mean  things  as  are  needful  for  thy  earthly 
sustenance  ?  And  is  it  not  a  pitiful  thing  that  a 
religious  man  should  spend  his  whole  industry,  and 
sole  effort,  and  have  his  thoughts  turned,  day  and 
night,  upon  his  own  little  doings,  and  should  be  so 
fuU  of  them  that  he  can  hardly  properly  hold  converse 
with  God,  or  his  own  heart  ?  And  if  what  he  has  in 
hand  succeeds,  he  feels  no  impulse  urging  him  on- 
wards towards  eternal  things,  except  in  so  far  as  it  may 
be  necessary  to  secure  his  own  salvation,  and  from 
the  delight  that  he  may  find  in  his  own  good  works ; 
and  he  is  as  much  taken  up  with  petty  personal 
cares  as  worldly  people  are  with  weightier  things. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  3*^9 

Wherefore  our  Lord  says  :  Ye  cannot  serve  two 
masters ;  ye  cannot  serve  God  and  riches.  But 
seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  is  before 
all  things  and  above  all  things,  and  His  righteousness, 
and  "  all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 
Just  as  if  He  had  said,  these  are  not  worthy  to  be 
called  a  gift ;  but  they  shall  be  added  over  and 
above  God's  gifts.  How  greatly  these  vain,  pitiful 
things  are  esteemed  and  loved  and  sought  after, 
secretly  and  openly,  and  what  anxiety  they  give 
rise  to,  and  how  eagerly  men  desire  them,  and  heap 
up  treasures  by  unlawful  means,  is  not  to  be  fully 
set  forth,  and  I  must  not  attempt  it.  I*.^ 

St.  Peter  says  :  "  Cast  all  your  care  upon  God,  for 
He  careth  for  you."  This  carefulness  concerning 
outward  things  works  a  man  three  great  injuries.  It 
blinds  his  reason  and  good  sense  ;  it  quenches  the 
fire  of  love,  and  destroys  all  its  fervour  and  heat ; 
and  it  blocks  up  the  ways  of  secret  access  to  God. 
It  is  like  a  noxious  vapour,  or  thick  smoke,  that 
rises  up  and  chokes  a  man's  breath.  This  care  is 
bom  of  the  sin  and  vice  of  covetousness.  Therefore 
look  well  to  your  footsteps,  and  see  with  what  ye 
hold  converse  while  you  are  in  this  present  state, 
and  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness, that  you  may  find  and  discover  it  where  it  lies 
hidden  in  the  iimiost  depths  of  the  soul,  that  it  do 
not  moulder  away  or  remain  unfruitful  within  you^ 
But  to  this  end,  he  who  purposes  manfully  to  with- 
stand himself,  the  Devil,  and  the  world,  must  sus- 
tain many  bold,  valiant  conflicts,  without  rest  or 
intermission.  For  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  never 
be  truly  found  except  these  faults  be  first  cast  off ; 
and  this  is  not  the  work  of  a  day.     For  whatever 


390  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

a  man  shall  take  by  force,  he  must  first  with  great 
pains  conquer  ;  and  thus  he  must  make  continual 
efforts  before  his  outward  man  can  be  drawn  away 
from  the  love  of  these  perishable  things.  For  this 
vice  has  struck  its  hidden  roots  so  deeply  into  the 
animal  nature  of  man,  that  he  seeks  himself  in  all 
things, — in  his  words  and  works,  in  his  dealings 
with  others,  and  in  his  friendships  ;  nay,  the  miser- 
able self-seeking  of  nature  works  in  secret  even  as 
regards  God,  making  men  crave  to  enjoy  comfort, 
illumination,  sweet  emotions  ;  in  short,  they  are 
ever  wishing  to  obtain  something,  and  would  fain 
hold  converse  with  the  world  and  yet  possess  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  But  we  ought  to  bear  all 
things  in  the  holy  faith  of  Christ,  and  leave  the 
reward  to  God. 

Do  good  works,  and  exercise  thyself  in  all  virtue, 
and  God  shall  give  thee  a  great  reward,  in  so  far  as 
thou  hast  kept  thyself  from  judging  thy  neighbour, 
and  hast  not  preferred  thyself  before  him,  for  that 
would  ill  become  thee.  Dear  children,  be  on  your 
guard  against  this  subtle  self-seeking  of  nature,  that 
ye  do  not  fulfil  good  works  of  piety  for  the  sake  of  any 
earthly  reward  ;  for  that  has  somewhat  of  the  nature 
of  simony,  a  sin  which  the  holy  Church  abhors  above 
all  others,  and  which  is  especially  contrary  to  God's 
righteousness  ;  for  God  is  by  his  nature  the  end  of  all 
things,  and  thou  settest  in  His  stead,  as  the  end  of 
thy  works,  an  evil,  mean,  perishable  thing.  We 
should  seek  God's  righteousness,  but  this  is  contrary 
to  His  righteousness  ;  therefore,  children,  beware 
of  this  evil  principle  within  you,  and  seek  the  King- 
dom of  God  and  His  righteousness  ;  that  is  to  say, 
seek  God  alone,  who  is  the  true  Kingdom  for  which 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  391 

we  and  all  men  daily  pray  when  we  say  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  Children,  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  a  mighty 
prayer  :  ye  know  not  what  ye  pray  for  in  it.  God 
is  Himself  the  Kingdom,  and  in  that  Kingdom  He 
reigns  in  all  intelligent  creatures.  Therefore  what  we 
ask  for  is  God  Himself  with  all  His  riches.  In  that 
Kingdom  does  God  become  our  Father,  and  mani- 
fests there  His  fatherly  faithfulness  and  fatherly 
power.  And  insomuch  as  He  finds  place  in  us  to 
work,  is  His  name  hallowed,  and  magnified,  and  made 
known.  That  His  name  should  be  hallowed  in  us, 
means  that  He  should  reign  in  us,  and  accomplish 
through  us  His  rightful  work.  And  thus  is  His  will 
done  here  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven  ;  that  is,  when 
it  is  done  in  us  as  it  is  in  Himself,  in  the  Heaven 
which  He  Himself  is.  Oh  !  how  often  does  man 
give  himself  up  in  will  to  God,  and  take  himself  back 
again  as  quickly,  and  fall  away  from  God  !  But  now 
begin  again,  and  give  thyself  to  Him  afresh  ;  yield 
thyself  captive  to  the  Divine  Will  in  rightful  allegi- 
ance, and  trust  thyself  to  the  power  of  thy  Father, 
who  has  all  power  and  might,  and  whose  presence 
thou  hast  so  often  and  so  plainly  felt,  and  art  yet 
made  to  feel  every  day  and  hour.  Trust  Him 
wholly,  and  seek  His  righteousness.  For  therein 
is  His  righteousness  shown,  that  He  abideth  ever 
with  those  who  heartily  seek  Him,  and  make  Him 
their  end,  and  give  themselves  up  to  Him.  In 
such  He  reigns,  and  all  vain  care  falls  away  of  itself 
in  those  who  thus  keep  close  to  God  in  true  self- 
surrender. 

Not  that  we  should  tempt  God  ;  for  it  is  our  duty 
to  exercise  a  reasonable  prudence  in  providing  such 
things  as  are  right,  to  the  supply  of  our  necessities 


392  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  those  of  others,  and  profitable  to  ourselves  and 
the  community,  and  to  see  that  everything  be  done 
in  a  discreet  and  seemly  manner.  But  that  which 
is  your  end  when  you  sit  and  meditate  in  the  church, 
should  be  likewise  your  end  when  you  are  busied 
in  all  the  affairs  of  daily  Hfe  ;  whether  you  work, 
or  speak,  or  eat,  or  drink,  waking  and  sleeping,  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  not  for  thyself.  For  a 
noble  man  will  make  these  perishing  things  of  time 
a  mere  passage-way  by  which  he  will  ascend  through 
the  creatures,  not  being  held  down  by  any  selfish 
cleaving  to  them,  up  to  his  everlasting  home,  his 
eternal  source  from  which  he  sprang  at  his  creation. 
Now  some  may  ask,  how  we  can  say  that  God  for- 
sakes none  that  trust  Him,  seeing  that  He  often 
permits  good  men  to  suffer  great  poverty  and 
affliction.  This  He  does,  as  Bishop  Albert  says, 
for  three  causes  :  the  first,  that  He  may  try  them, 
and  see  whether  they  utterly  believe  and  trust  Him  ; 
thus  God  often  suffers  men  to  be  brought  into  distress 
that  he  may  teach  them  submission,  and  then 
succours  them  that  they  may  perceive  His  hand 
and  His  friendship  and  help  ;  in  order  that  their  love 
and  gratitude  may  increase  from  that  time  forth, 
and  they  may  draw  closer  to  God  and  become  dearer 
to  Him.  Or  again,  God  will  by  these  troubles 
shorten  their  purification  hereafter  ;  or  again,  He 
sends  them  distress  for  a  judgment  on  those  who 
might  relieve  them  and  do  it  not.  Therefore, 
children,  seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  is 
God  Himself,  and  nought  else.  When  this  cleaving 
to  the  creature  is  altogether  cast  off,  then  will  the  will 
of  God  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,  and  so  shall 
the  Father  have  the  power  and  the  glory  for  ever  in 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  393 

heaven,  that  is,  in  His  Sons.  For  when  man  stands 
thus,  having  no  end,  nor  purpose,  nor  desire  but  God, 
then  does  he  himself  become  God's  Kingdom,  and 
God  reigns  in  him.  And  then  does  the  Eternal 
King  sit  on  His  royal  throne,  and  command  and 
govern  in  man. 

This  Kingdom  is  seated  properly  m  the  inmost 
recesses  of  the  spirit.  When,  through  all  manner  of 
exercises,  the  outward  man  has  been  converted  into 
the  inward,  reasonable  man,  and  thus  the  two,  that 
is  to  say,  the  powers  of  the  senses  and  the  powers  of 
the  reason,  are  gathered  up  into  the  very  centre  of 
the  man's  being, — the  unseen  depths  of  his  spirit, 
wherein  lies  the  image  of  God, — and  thus  he  flings 
himself  into  the  Divine  abyss,  in  which  he  dwelt 
eternally  before  he  was  created  ;  then  when  God 
finds  the  man  thus  simply  and  nakedly  turned  to- 
wards Him,  the  Godhead  bends  down  and  descends 
into  the  depths  of  the  pure,  waiting  soul,  and  trans- 
forms the  created  soul,  drawing  it  up  into  the  un- 
created essence,  so  that  the  spirit  becomes  one  with 
Him.  Could  such  a  man  behold  himself,  he  would 
see  himself  so  noble  that  he  would  fancy  himself 
God,  and  see  himself  a  thousand  times  nobler  than 
he  is  in  himself,  and  would  perceive  all  the  thoughts 
and  purposes,  words  and  works,  and  have  all  the 
knowledge  of  all  men  that  ever  were. 

Now  thou  shouldest  look  into  the  bottom  of  thy 
heart,  and  see  whether  thou  wouldest  fain  enter 
into  this  Kingdom,  and  partake  of  this  high  dignity. 
Then  were  all  thy  cares  over  and  gone  for  ever  ! 
This  is  the  Kingdom  which  we  are  told  to  seek  first ; 
and  this  is  righteousness,  that  we  should  set  God 
before  us,  the  rightful  end  of  all  our  purposes  in  all  our 


394  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

doings,  and  trust  in  Him.  For  as  we  can  never  love 
God  too  well,  so  we  can  never  trust  Him  too  much, 
if  it  be  but  the  right  sort  of  trust,  that  casts  all  care 
upon  Him,  as  Peter  bids  us  do. 

Now  St.  Paul  tells  us,  however,  that  we  must  be 
careful  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace.  Children,  that  peace  which  is  found  in  the 
spirit  and  the  inner  life  is  well  worth  our  care,  for  in 
that  peace  lies  the  satisfaction  of  all  our  wants.  In 
it  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  discovered  and  His  right- 
eousness is  found.  This  peace  a  man  should  allow 
nothing  to  take  from  him,  whatever  betide,  come 
weal  or  woe,  honour  or  shame.  But  ever  keep  thy 
inward  man  in  the  bond  of  peace,  which  consists 
in  the  common  love  of  all  to  all ;  and  set  before 
you  the  lovely  example  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
see  how  His  love  wrought,  leading  Him  to  endure 
greater  sufferings  than  all  the  saints  or  all  mankind 
ever  endured.  For  He  was  all  His  life  more  utterly 
destitute  of  consolation  than  any  man  ever  was,  and 
ended  it  by  the  bitterest  death  that  man  ever  died  ; 
and  yet  in  His  highest  powers  He  was  never  less 
blessed  than  He  is  at  this  moment.  Now  those  who 
are  most  truly  followers  of  Him  in  emptiness  of 
outward  consolation,  and  in  true  poverty,  inward 
and  outward,  having  no  refuge  or  stay,  and  in  no 
wise  clinging  to  the  creature,  or  seeking  themselves, 
these  come  to  discover,  in  the  truest  and  noblest 
sort,  the  Kingdom  of  God.  And  this  is  God's  right- 
eousness, that  He  will  give  us  to  find  His  Kingdom 
by  treading  in  Christ's  footsteps,  in  true  self- 
surrender  and  willing  poorness  of  spirit.  That  we 
may  all  so  seek  tlie  Kingdom  of  God  as  truly  to  find 
it,  may  He  help  us.     Amen. 


XXV 

Sermon  for  St.   Stephen's  Day 

Of  three  grades  of  those  who  learn  to  die  unto  them- 
selves, like  a  corn  of  wheat,  that  they  may  bring 
forth  fruit ;  or  of  those  who  are  beginners,  those 
who  are  advancing,  atid  those  who  are  perfect 
in  a  Divine  life. 

John  xii.  24. — "  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it 
abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 

BY  the  com  of  wheat  we  understand  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  by  His  death  has  brought 
forth  much  fruit  for  all  men,  if  they  are  but 
willing  not  only  to  reign  with  Him,  but  also  and  in 
the  first  place  desire  to  follow  Him  in  a  dying  life. 
For  this  may  be  called  a  dying  life,  when  a  man  for 
the  love  of  God  refuses  to  gratify  his  senses  and  take 
his  natural  pleasure,  and  follow  his  own  will ;  and  as 
many  lusts  as  he  dies  to,  so  many  deaths  does  he  offer 
to  God,  and  so  many  fruits  of  life  will  he  receive  in 
return.  For  in  what  measure  a  man  dies  to  himself, 
and  grows  out  of  himself,  in  the  same  measure  does 
God,  who  is  our  Life,  enter  into  him. 

Now  mark,  dear  children,  that  the  path  of  a  man 
thus  dying  may  be  divided  into  three  stages.  Those 
who  have  entered  on  the  lowest  stage,  do  acts  of  self- 


396  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

denial  from  fear  of  hell,  and  for  the  hope  of  heaven, 
with  some  love  to  God  mingled  therewith,  which 
leads  them  to  shun  the  most  flagrant  sins  ;  but  the 
love  of  God  seldom  works  strongly  in  them,  except  it 
be  stirred,  up  by  the  contemplation  of  hell  or  heaven  ; 
for  by  reason  of  their  bUnd  self-love  these  men  are 
terribly  afraid  of  death,  and  by  no  means  eager  to  set 
their  hand  to  the  work  of  mortifying  their  undis- 
ciplined nature,  which  shrinks  therefrom  ;  and  they 
have  little  faith,  which  is  the  cause  of  this  timorous 
weakness,  that  leads  them  to  be  ever  fearing  for  their 
own  safety :  thus,  just  as  formerly  they  sought  and 
loved  themselves  in  all  kinds  of  carnal  enjoyments  and 
worldly  vanities,  and  avoided  bodily  pain  and  incon- 
venience out  of  self-love,  so  now  is  the  same  motive 
at  work  leading  them  to  shun  sin  on  account  of 
punishment,  in  order  to  escape  hell,  and  obtain  the 
rewards  of  heaven.  And  when  they  are  still  young 
in  the  love  of  God,  they  are  apt  to  taste  little  sweet- 
ness in  loving  God,  save  when  they  hope  to  enjoy 
something  from  His  love  ;  as  for  instance,  to  escape 
hell  and  get  to  heaven  ;  and  if  sometimes  they  medi- 
tate on  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  and  weep  over 
them  with  strong  emotion,  it  is  because  they  think 
how  he  was  willing  to  suffer  so  much  for  their  sakes, 
and  to  redeem  them  by  his  bitter  death  ;  still  (be- 
cause their  love  is  small)  they  are  much  more  indined 
to  dwell  upon  the  bodily  sufferings  that  He  endured 
in  His  human  nature,  than  to  reflect  how  He  mani- 
fested by  His  death  the  highest  perfection  of  all 
virtue,  as  humility,  love,  and  patience,  and  therein 
so  greatly  glorified  His  Heavenly  Father.  For  this 
sort  of  persons  set  out  and  begin  to  die  while  as  yet 
they  love  themselves  far  too  well ;   hence  they  are 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  397 

not  yet  able  to  see  truly  what  it  is  to  resign  them- 
selves to  God,  and  to  maintain  a  spirit  of  submission  ; 
and  although  God  does  all  things  for  the  best,  yet 
this  they  will  never  believe,  and  it  is  a  perpetual 
stumbling-block  to  them.  Thus,  they  often  ask  and 
wonder  why  our  Lord  chose  to  suffer  so  much,  and 
why  He  leads  His  friends  and  followers  to  Himself 
along  such  a  path  of  suffering.  And  when  they  are 
at  the  outset  of  a  dying  hfe,  and  only  half-way 
inclined  towards  true  perfectness,  nor  perceive  as  yet 
wherein  this  consists,  they  ofttimes  torment  them- 
selves with  watching  and  fasting,  and  an  austere 
way  of  life  ;  for  whatever  is  outwardly  painful  to 
the  flesh,  they  fancy  to  be  greatly  and  mightily 
regarded  and  prized  by  God.  So  when  they  eagerly 
take  upon  themselves  all  the  hardships  they  can, 
then  they  think  they  have  reached  the  summit  of 
perfection,  and  judge  all  other  men,  nay  even  those 
who  are  much  more  perfect  than  themselves,  and 
think  meanly  of  all  who  do  not  practise  outward 
austerities,  calling  them  low-minded  and  ignorant  in 
spiritual  things  ;  and  those  who  do  not  feel  as  they 
do,  they  think  to  have  gone  astray  altogether  from 
a  spiritual  course,  and  desire  that  all  men  should 
be  as  they  are  ;  and  whatever  methods  of  avoiding 
sin  they  have  practised  and  still  make  use  of  by 
reason  of  their  infirmity,  they  desire,  nay,  demand, 
that  every  one  else  should  observe  ;  and  if  any  do 
not  do  so,  they  judge  them,  and  murmur  at  them, 
and  say  that  they  pay  no  regard  to  religion.  Now, 
while  they  thus  keep  themselves  and  all  that  belongs 
to  them  as  it  were  working  in  their  own  service,  and 
in  this  self-love  unduly  regard  themselves  as  their 
own  property,   they  cut  themselves  off  from  our 


39»  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Lord  and  from  the  universal  charity.  For  they 
ought  to  cherish  continually  a  general  love  toward 
all  men,  both  good  and  bad  ;  but  they  remain  ab- 
sorbed in  their  partial  and  separate  affections,  where- 
by they  bring  upon  themselves  much  disquiet,  and 
remain  a  prey  to  their  besetting  sin  of  always  seek- 
ing and  intending  themselves.  And  they  are  very 
niggardly  of  their  spiritual  blessings  towards  their 
fellow-Christians  ;  for  they  devote  all  their  prayers 
and  religious  exercises  to  their  own  behoof  ;  and  if 
they  pray  or  do  any  other  kind  act  for  others,  they 
think  it  a  great  thing,  and  fancy  they  have  done  them 
a  great  service  thereby.  In  short,  as  they  look  httle 
within,  and  are  little  enlightened  in  the  knowledge 
of  themselves,  so  also  they  make  little  increase  in 
the  love  Off  God  and  their  neighbour ;  for  they  are 
so  entangled  with  unregulated  affections,  that  they 
live  alone  in  heart,  not  thoroughly  commingling 
their  soul  with  any  in  the  right  sort  of  thorough  love. 
For  the  love  of  God  which  ought  to  unite  them  to 
God  and  all  mankind,  is  wanting  in  them  ;  and 
although  they  appear  to  keep  the  ordinances  of  God 
and  the  Holy  Church,  they  do  not  keep  the  law  of 
love.  What  they  do  is  more  out  of  constraint  and 
fear  than  from  hearty  love  ;  and  because  they  are 
inwardly  unfaithful  to  God,  they  dare  not  trust  him, 
for  the  imperfection  which  they  find  in  themselves 
makes  a  flaw  in  their  love  to  God.  Hence  their 
whole  life  is  full  of  care,  full  of  fear,  full  of  toil  and 
ignoble  misery  ;  for  they  see  Eternal  Life  on  the  one 
side,  and  fear  to  lose  it,  and  see  hell  on  the  other,  and 
fear  to  fall  into  it ;  and  all  their  prayers  and  religious 
exercises  cannot  chase  away  their  fear  of  hell,  so  long 
as  they  do  not  die  unto  themselves.     For  the  more 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  399 

they  love  themselves,  and  take  counsel  for  their  own 
welfare,  the  more  the  fear  of  hell  grows  upon  them  ; 
insomuch  that  when  God  does  not  help  them  forward 
as  much  as  they  wish,  they  complain  ;  and  they 
weep  and  sigh  at  every  little  difficulty  they  en- 
counter, however  small,  such  as  being  tempted  to 
vanity,  wandering  thoughts,  and  the  hke.  They 
make  long  stories  of  what  is  of  no  consequence,  and 
talk  about  their  great  difficulties  and  sufferings, 
as  if  they  were  grievously  wronged  ;  for  they  esteem 
their  works,  although  small,  to  be  highly  meritorious, 
and  that  God  Almighty  owes  them  great  honour 
and  blessings  in  return.  But  our  Lord  will  tell 
them  (as  He  does  in  fact  afterward,  when  He 
has  enlightened  them  with  His  grace)  a  poor 
fool  loves  his  own  wooden  stick,  or  any  other 
little  worthless  article,  as  well  as  a  rich  and  wise 
man  does  his  sword  or  any  other  great  and  precious 
thing. 

All  such  are  standing  on  the  lowest  steps  of  a 
dying  life,  and  if  they  do  not  mortify  themselves 
more,  and  come  to  experience  more  of  what  a  dying 
life  is,  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  they  will  fall  back  from 
that  httle  whereunto  they  have  attained,  and  may 
plunge  into  depths  of  folly  and  wickedness,  from 
which  God  keep  us  all !  But  before  a  man  comes  to 
such  a  fall,  God  gives  him  great  spiritual  dehght ; 
and  upon  this  he  is  so  greatly  rejoiced  that  he  cheer- 
fully endures  all  sorts  of  austerities  and  penances,  and 
then  he  weeneth  that  he  hath  arrived  at  perfection, 
and  begins  to  judge  his  neighbours,  and  wants  to 
shape  all  men  after  his  own  model,  so  greatly  does 
he  esteem  himself  in  his  own  conceits.  Then  God 
comes  in  His  mercy  to  teach  him  what  he  is,  and 


J 


400  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

shows  him  into  what  error  he  has  fallen,  and  permits 
the  Enemy  to  set  before  him  and  make  him  taste 
the  sweetness  of  sin  ;  and  then,  when  he  has  thus 
tasted,  he  conceives  an  inclination  to  one  sin  after 
another,  and  he  cannot  rid  himself  of  these  inclina- 
tions. Then  he  wishes  to  flee  sin  that  he  may  escape 
hell,  and  begins  to  do  outward  good  works  ;  and  yet 
it  is  a  dreadful  toil  to  perform  these  good  works 
as  a  mere  labour,  and  to  put  himself  to  pain  ;  thus 
he  is  brought  into  an  agonizing  struggle  with  himself, 
and  does  not  know  which  way  to  turn  ;  for  he  dimly 
sees  that  he  has  gone  astray.  Then  must  God  of 
His  mercy  come  and  raise  him  up,  and  he  shall  cry 
earnestly  to  God  for  help,  and  his  chief  meditation 
shall  be  on  the  Hfe  and  works  and  especially  the 
sufferings  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  second  degree  in  which  the  com  of  wheat 
dies,  is  when  a  man  is  called  upon  to  endure  insult, 
contempt,  and  such  like  deaths  ;  and  so  long  as  his 
grace  lasts  he  would  fain  continue  to  suffer,  for  by 
the  sense  of  undeserved  injury  all  his  powers  are  but 
quickened  and  raised  into  a  higher  state  of  activity. 
But  when  he  is  bereft  of  this  gracious  sense  of  the 
Divine  presence,  forasmuch  as  he  is  still  far  from 
perfection,  he  cannot  bear  up  under  this  spiritual 
destitution,  and,  through  his  infirmity,  falls  a  prey 
to  mistrust  of  God,  and  fancies  that  God  has  for- 
gotten him,  and  is  not  willing  to  help  him  towards 
perfection.  Often  he  is  in  a  hundred  minds  what  to 
do  or  not  do,  and  if  our  Lord  show  him  some  kind- 
ness, then  he  feels  as  if  all  were  well  between  his  soul 
and  God,  and  he  feels  himself  so  rich  as  if  he  could 
never  more  be  poor,  and  thinks  to  enjoy  the  presence 
and  favour  of  God  (though  as  yet  he  is  quite  untried) 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  401 

just  as  if  the  Almighty  were  his  own  personal,  special 
friend,  and  is  ready  to  believe  that  our  Lord  is, 
so  to  speak,  at  his  disposal,  will  comfort  him  in 
adversity,  and  enrich  him  with  all  virtue.  But 
forasmuch  as  our  gracious  Lord  sees  that  such  a 
man  will  be  very  apt  to  rely  upon  his  imagined 
powers,  and  thus  to  fall  grievously,  and  sees  also 
that  the  best  and  ripest  fruit  is  being  lost,  inasmuch 
as  the  man  has  not  yet  attained  to  that  perfection 
to  which  our  Lord  desires  to  lead  him,  therefore  in 
due  time  He  withdraws  from  him  all  that  He  had 
revealed  to  him,  because  the  man  was  too  much 
occupied  with  himself,  with  thinking  about  his  own 
perfection,  wisdom,  hohness  and  virtues  ;  He  thus 
brings  him  through  poverty  to  dissatisfaction  with 
himself,  and  a  humble  acknowledgment  that  he 
has  neither  wisdom  nor  worthiness  ;  then  does  he 
begin  to  reflect  within  himself  how  justly  Almighty 
God  has  stayed  His  hand  from  bestowing  any  sensible 
tokens  of  His  mercy,  because  he  fancied  that  he  was 
something  ;  now  he  sees  clearly  that  he  is  nothing. 
He  was  wont  to  care  for  his  good  name  and  honour 
in  the  world  and  to  defend  them  as  a  man  stands  up 
for  his  wedded  wife,  and  to  count  them  who  spoke 
evil  of  him  as  an  enemy  to  the  common  good.  He 
was  wont  to  desire  and  thirst  after  the  reputation 
of  holiness,  like  a  meadow  after  the  dew  of  heaven. 
He  weened  that  men's  praises  of  him  had  proceeded 
altogether  from  real  goodness  and  sympathy  of 
heart  and  by  God's  ordination,  and  had  wandered 
so  far  from  self-knowledge  as  not  to  see  that  he  was 
in  himself  unsound  from  head  to  foot ;  he  fancied 
that  he  was  really  as  he  stood  in  man's  opinion  and 
knew  nothing  to  the  contrary. 


402  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

Here  we  must  mark  that  he  who  wishes  to  heal 
himself  of  such  like  grievous  mistakes,  and  subdue 
such  an  unmortified  nature,  must  take  note  of  three 
points  in  himself.  First,  how  much  he  has  striven  to 
endure  cheerfully,  for  the  sake  of  goodness,  all  the 
rebuke,  slander,  and  shame  that  has  come  upon  him, 
patiently  enduring  it  in  his  heart  without  outward 
complaint.  Secondly,  how  much  in  the  time  of  his 
rebuke,  shame,  and  distress  he  has  praised  and 
glorified  God  and  his  fellow-men,  and  shown  kind- 
ness to  his  neighbour  in  all  ways,  in  spite  of  all 
contradiction  against  himself.  Thirdly,  let  him 
examine  himself  whether  he  have  loved  with  cheerful 
and  willing  heart  the  men  or  creatures  who  have 
thus  persecuted  him,  and  sincerely  prayed  for  them  ; 
and  if  he  finds  that  he  has  not  done  so,  and  is  un- 
willing to  do  so,  but  is  hard  and  bitter  in  his  grief, 
then  he  may  surely  know  and  ought  to  feel  certain 
that  there  is  something  false  in  him,  and  some  rest- 
ing in  the  praise  of  men  and  in  his  own  spiritual  pride, 
and  that  he  is  not  dead.  He  has  not  yet  come  to  the 
second  step  in  a  dying  life. 

But  our  kind  Lord,  like  a  tender  mother  who  is 
full  of  love,  or  a  wise  physician  who  desires  to  restore 
a  sick  man  to  perfect  health  by  his  powerful  remedies, 
suffers  him  to  fall  many  times,  that  he  may  learn  to 
know  himself,  and  thus  he  falls  into  fleshly,  un- 
spiritual  temptations  such  as  he  never  experienced 
in  those  past  days,  in  which  he  fancied  himself  very 
good  and  spiritual  -  minded.  Out  of  mercy  God 
deprives  him  of  all  understanding,  and  overclouds 
all  the  light  in  which  he  walked  aforetime,  and  so 
hedges  him  in  with  the  thorns  of  an  anguished  con- 
science, that  he  thinks  nothing  else  but  that  he  is 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  403 

cast  off  from  the  light  of  God's  countenance  ;  and 
he  moans  greatly,  and  often  with  many  tears  ex- 
claims :  "  O,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  cast  me  off, 
and  why  go  I  thus  mourning  all  the  days  of  my 
pilgrimage  ?  " 

And  when  he  finds  himself  thus  from  the  crown  of 
his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  foot  unlike  God,  and  at 
variance  with  Him,  he  is  filled  with  the  sense  of  his 
own  unworthiness  and  with  displeasure  at  himself, 
insomuch  that  he  can  hardly  abide  himself  ;  and  then 
he  thinks  many  miserable  things  about  himself  from 
passages  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  sheds  many  tears  in 
the  sense  of  his  sinfulness,  till  he  is  weighed  down  to 
the  earth  with  the  pressure  of  God's  hand,  and  ex- 
claims with  the  Prophet :  "  My  sins  are  more  in 
number  than  the  sands  of  the  sea  ;  they  have  taken 
hold  upon  me  that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up  ;  for  I 
have  stirred  up  God's  anger  against  me,  and  done 
much  evil  in  His  sight."  These  things  he  saith,  and 
more  of  the  like.  And  at  times  he  is  not  even  able 
thus  to  weep  and  lament  and  then  he  is  still  more 
tormented  with  tribulation  and  assaults  ;  for  on  the 
one  hand  he  feels  a  strong  desire  to  cast  himself 
down  humbly  and  die  to  himself,  and  on  the  other 
he  is  conscious  of  great  pride  and  arrogance 
about  himself,  till  he  is  so  exasperated  at  himself, 
that  but  for  the  dishonour  to  God  he  could  fain  kill 
himself.  I  believe  that  all  such  conflict  greatly 
wears  out  the  intellectual  and  natural  powers,  for 
it  is  so  excessive,  that  one  would  rather  suffer  one- 
self to  be  put  to  death  than  endure  it.  Yet  one 
grace  is  left  him,  namely,  that  he  looks  on  it  all 
as  of  no  moment,  whatever  may  be  poured  out  over 
him,  if  only  he  may  not  knowingly  offend  God. 


404  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

After  a  while  the  grace  of  tears  comes  back  to  him, 
and  he  cries  to  God  and  says  :  "  O  Lord,  arise  !  why 
sleepest  thou  ?  "  and  asks  Him  why  He  hath  sealed 
up  the  fountains  of  His  mercy.  He  calls  upon  the 
holy  angels  and  blessed  spirits  to  have  pity  on  him. 
He  asks  the  heavens  why  they  have  become  as  brass, 
and  the  earth  wherefore  she  is  as  iron,  and  beseeches 
the  very  stones  to  have  compassion  on  his  woes.  He 
exclaims  :  "  Am  I  become  as  the  blasted  hill  of 
Gilboa,  which  was  cursed  of  David  that  no  dew  or 
rain  should  fall  on  it  ?  And  how  should  my  wicked- 
ness alone  vanquish  the  invincible  God,  and  force 
Him  to  shut  up  His  mercies  whose  property  it  is 
to  have  mercy  and  to  help  ?  " 

In  the  second  stage  of  the  d5äng  life  God  leads  the 
soul  through  these  exercises  and  operations  of  His 
hand  as  through  fire  and  water  by  turns,  until  the 
workings  of  self-sufficiency  are  driven  out  from  all 
the  secret  corners  of  the  spirit,  and  the  man  hence- 
forward is  so  utterly  ashamed  of  himself,  and  so 
casts  himself  off,  that  he  can  never  more  ascribe 
any  greatness  to  himself,  but  thoroughly  perceives 
all  his  own  weakness,  in  which  he  now  is  and  always 
has  been  ;  and  whatever  he  does  or  desires  to  do,  or 
whatever  good  thing  may  be  said  of  him,  he  does 
not  take  it  to  his  own  credit,  for  he  knows  not  how 
to  say  anything  else  of  himself,  but  that  he  is  full  of 
all  manner  of  infirmity.  Then  he  has  reached  the 
end  of  this  stage  ;  and  he  who  has  arrived  at  this 
point  is  not  far  from  the  threshold  of  great  mercies, 
by  which  he  shall  enter  into  the  bride-chamber  of 
Christ.  Then  when  the  day  of  his  death  shall  come, 
he  shall  be  brought  in  by  the  Bridegroom  with 
great  rejoicing. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  405 

It  is  hard  to  die.  We  know  that  httle  trees  do  not 
strike  their  roots  deep  into  the  earth,  and  tl^refore 
they  cannot  stand  long  ;  so  it  is  with  all  humble 
hearts,  who  do  not  take  deep  root  in  earth,  but  in 
heaven.  But  the  great  trees  which  have  waxed  high, 
and  are  intended  to  endure  long  upon  the  earth,  these 
strike  their  roots  deep,  and  spread  them  out  wide  into 
the  soil.  So  it  is  with  the  men  who  in  old  times 
and  now  at  this  present  have  been  great  upon  earth, 
they  must  needs  through  many  a  struggle  and  death, 
die  unto  themselves  before  all  the  self-sufficiency  of 
their  heart  can  be  broken  down,  and  they  can  be 
surely  and  firmly  rooted  for  ever  in  humihty.  It 
does,  however,  happen  sometimes  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  finds  easier  ways  than  those  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  whereby  He  brings  such  souls  to 
Himself. 

The  third  degree  in  which  the  com  of  wheat  dies 
belongs  only  to  the  perfect,  who,  with  unflagging 
diligence  and  ceaseless  desire,  are  ever  striving  to 
approach  perfection.  These  men's  state  is  one  of 
mingled  joy  and  sorrow,  whereby  they  are  tossed  up 
and  down  ;  for  the  Holy  Spirit  is  trying  and  sifting 
them,  and  preparing  them  for  perfection,  with  two 
kinds  of  grief  and  two  kinds  of  joy  and  happiness, 
which  they  have  ever  in  their  sight.  The  first  grief 
is  an  inward  pain  and  an  overwhelming  sorrow  of 
heart,  in  the  sense  of  the  unspeakable  wrong  done  to 
the  Holy  Trinity  by  all  creatures,  and  specially  by 
the  bad  Christians  who  are  living  in  mortal  sin.  The 
second  grief  consists  in  their  fellow-feeling  for  and 
experience  of  all  the  grief  and  pain  which  the  human 
nature  of  Christ  has  undergone. 

The  fiirst  of  the  two  joys  lies  in  this  dying  ;  it  is  a 


4o6  TAULER'SiSERMONS 

clear  intuition  and  a  perfect  fruition  to  which  they 
are  raised  in  Christ  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  they  may  enjoy  the  fruition  of  Him,  and  triumph 
in  all  the  joys  which  they  hope  and  believe  after  this 
life  to  behold  in  all  their  perfect  fulness.  The  second 
triumph  is  that  they  are  fulfilled  in  all  the  joys  which 
the  human  nature  of  Christ  possessed.  This  joy 
such  a  man  hopes  to  share  as  a  member  of  Christ ; 
and  even  if  he  cannot  fathom  the  abyss  of  God,  he 
rejoices  therein,  for  he  sees  that  the  overflowings  of 
God's  mercy  are  unspeakable,  and  feels  that  it  is 
good  for  him  that  he  is  vanquished  in  the  effort 
to  comprehend  God's  power,  and  bends  down 
beneath  God  in  his  self-dying. 

To  this  state  a  man  cannot  attain  except  he  unite 
his  will  with  God,  with  an  entire  renunciation  and 
perfect  denial  of  himself,  and  all  selfish  love  of 
himself  ;  and  all  delight  in  having  his  own  will  be 
over-mastered  and  quenched  by  the  shedding  abroad 
in  his  heart  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  love  of  God,  so 
that  it  seem  as  though  the  Holy  Spirit  Himself  were 
the  man's  will  and  love,  and  he  were  nothing  and 
wiUed  nothing  on  his  own  account.  Yea,  even  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  he  shall  desire  for  God's  sake 
and  God's  glory,  because  Christ  hath  earned  it  in 
order  to  supply  his  needs,  and  chooseth  to  bestow 
it  on  him  as  one  of  His  sons.  When  in  this  stage, 
a  man  loveth  all  things  in  their  right  order,  God 
above  all  things, — next  the  blessed  (human)  nature 
of  Christ,  and  after  that  the  blessed  Mother  of  Christ, 
and  the  saints  of  all  degrees,  each  according  to  the 
rank  which  God  hath  enabled  him  to  attain.  When 
his  affections  are  thus  regulated,  he  sets  himself  in  the 
lowest  place  at  the  wedding-feast  of  the  Bridegroom. 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  407 

And  when  the  Bridegroom  comes  who  has  bidden 
him  to  the  feast,  He  saith  unto  him  :  "  Friend  go 
up  higher."  Then  he  is  endowed  with  a  new  hfe, 
and  illuminated  with  a  new  light,  in  the  which  he 
clearly  perceives  and  sees,  that  he  alone  is  the  cause 
of  his  own  evil,  that  he  cannot,  with  truth,  throw 
the  blame  either  on  nature,  the  world,  or  the  devil. 
Yea,  he  confesses  that  God  has  appointed  him  all 
these  exercises  and  assaults  out  of  His  great  love,  in 
order  that  he  may  glorify  God  in  overcoming  these, 
and  deserve  a  higher  crown.  Further,  he  perceives 
and  sees,  that  it  is  God  alone  who  has  upheld  him, 
and  stayed  his  steps,  so  that  he  has  no  longer  an  in- 
clination to  sin,  and  who  has  removed  the  occasion 
to  sin  that  he  might  not  fall.  Yea  what  is  still  worse, 
he  is  forced  to  confess  that  he  has  often  been  dis- 
satisfied that  he  was  not  able  to  derive  more  enjoy- 
ment from  his  sins.  Thus  all  his  being  is  swallowed 
up  in  sorrow  and  remorse  for  that  he  is  still  laden 
with  his  boimdless  infirmity. 

But  he  hath  dehght  and  joy  in  that  he  seeth  that 
the  goodness  of  God  is  as  great  as  his  necessities,  so 
that  his  hfe  may  well  be  called  a  dying  life  by  reason 
of  such  his  griefs  and  joys  which  are  conformable  and 
like  unto  the  hfe  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which 
from  beginning  to  end  was  always  made  up  of 
mingled  grief  and  joy.  Grief,  in  that  He  left  His 
heavenly  throne  and  came  down  into  this  world  ; 
joy,  in  that  He  was  not  severed  from  the  glory  and 
honour  of  the  Father.  Grief,  in  that  He  was  a  Son 
of  Man  ;  joy,  in  that  He  nevertheless  was  and  re- 
mained the  Son  of  God.  Grief,  because  He  took 
upon  Him  the  office  of  a  servant ;  joy,  in  that  He 
was  nevertheless  a  great  Lord.     Grief,  because  in 


4o8  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

human  nature  He  was  mortal,  and  died  upon  the 
cross ;  joy,  because  He  was  immortal  according 
to  His  Godhead.  Grief,  in  His  birth,  in  that  He 
was  once  bom  of  His  mother;  joy,  in  that  He  is 
the  only-begotten  of  God's  heart  from  everlasting 
to  everlasting.  Grief,  because  He  became  in  Time 
subject  to  Time  ;  joy,  because  He  was  Eternal  before 
all  Time,  and  shall  be  so  for  ever.  Grief,  in  that 
the  Word  was  born  into  the  flesh,  and  hath  dwelt 
in  us  ;  joy,  in  that  the  Word  was  in  the  beginning 
with  God,  and  God  Himself  was  the  Word.  Grief, 
in  that  it  behoved  Him  to  be  baptized  Uke  any 
human  sinner  by  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the  Jordan  ; 
joy,  in  that  the  voice  of  His  Heavenly  Father  said 
of  Him  :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased."  Grief,  in  that  like  others,  sinners, 
He  was  tempted  of  the  Enemy  ;  joy,  in  that  the 
angels  came  and  ministered  unto  Him.  Grief,  in 
that  He  ofttimes  endured  hunger  and  thirst ;  joy, 
because  He  is  Himself  the  food  of  men  and  angels. 
Grief,  in  that  He  was  often  wearied  with  His  labours  ; 
joy,  because  He  is  the  rest  of  all  loving  hearts  and 
blessed  spirits.  Grief,  forasmuch  as  His  holy  life 
and  sufferings  should  remain  in  vain  for  so  many 
human  beings  ;  joy,  because  He  should  thereby 
save  His  friends.  Grief,  in  that  He  must  needs 
ask  to  drink  water  of  the  heathen  woman  at  the  well ; 
joy,  in  that  He  gave  to  that  same  woman  to  drink  of 
living  water,  so  that  she  should  never  thirst  again. 
Grief,  in  that  He  was  wont  to  sail  in  ships  over  the 
sea  ;  joy,  because  He  was  wont  to  walk  dry-shod 
upon  the  waves.  Grief,  in  that  He  wept  with  Martha 
and  Mary  over  Lazarus  ;  joy,  in  that  He  raised  their 
brother  Lazarus  from  the  dead.     Grief,  in  that  He 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  409 

was  nailed  to  the  cross  with  nails  ;  joy,  in  that  He 
promised  paradise  to  the  thief  by  His  side.  Grief 
in  that  He  thirsted  when  hanging  on  the  cross  ; 
joy,  in  that  He  should  thereby  redeem  His  elect  from 
eternal  thirst.  Grief,  when  He  said,  "  My  God,  my 
God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  joy,  in  that  He 
would  with  these  words  comfort  all  sad  hearts. 
Grief,  in  that  His  soul  was  parted  from  His  body, 
and  He  died  and  was  buried  ;  joy,  because  on  the 
third  day  He  rose  again  from  the  dead  with  a 
glorified  body. 

Thus  was  all  His  life,  from  the  manger  to  the  cross, 
a  mingled  web  of  grief  and  joy.  Which  life  He  hath 
left  as  a  sacred  testament  to  His  followers  in  this 
present  time,  who  are  converted  unto  His  dying 
life,  that  they  may  remember  Him  when  they  drink 
of  His  cup,  and  walk  as  He  hath  walked  !  May 
God  help  us  so  to  do  !     Amen. 


XXVI 

Sermon  for  St.  Peters  Day 

Of  brotherly  rebuke  and  admonition,  how  far  it  is 
advisable  and  seemly  or  not,  and  especially  how 
prelates  and  governors  ought  to  demean  themselves 
toward  their  subjects. 

2  Tim.  2. — "  Reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long  -suffering   and 
doctrine. " 

THIS  is  the  lesson  which  St.  Paul  gives  to 
his  beloved  disciple  Timothy,  whom  he 
set  to  rule  over  men,  and  it  equally  behoves  all 
pastors  of  souls  and  magistrates,  to  possess  these 
two  things, — long-suffering  and  doctrine. 

First,  it  is  their  office  to  rebuke  all  open  sinners, 
whom  they  may  possibly  bring  to  a  better  way,  and 
especially  those  over  whom  they  are  set  in  authority, 
that  they  may  reveal  the  truth  unto  them,  for  this  is 
needful,  and  in  many  places  Scripture  doth  tell  us 
how  we  ought  to  teach,  rebuke,  and  exhort  those 
who  are  committed  to  our  charge,  each  according 
to  the  office  which  he  holds,  as  St.  Gregory  has 
sufficiently  shown  and  set  forth  in  his  Pastoral, 
wherefore  we  will  refrain  for  the  present  from  saying 
more  on  that  point. 

But  we  will  rather  turn  to  the  second  point,  which 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  4" 

is  more  spiritual,  teaching  a  man  to  look  within  and 
judge  himself,  seeing  that  he  who  desires  to  become  a 
spiritual  man  must  not  be  ever  taking  note  of  others, 
and  above  all  of  their  sins,  lest  he  fall  into  wrath  and 
bitterness,  and  a  judging  spirit  towards  his  neigh- 
bours. O  children,  this  works  such  great  mischief 
in  a  man's  soul,  as  it  is  miserable  to  think  of  ;  where- 
fore, as  you  love  God,  shun  this  evil  temper,  and  turn 
your  eyes  full  upon  yourselves,  and  see  if  you  cannot 
discover  the  same  fault  in  yourselves,  either  in  times 
past  or  now-a-days.  And  if  you  find  it,  remember 
how  that  it  is  God's  appointing  that  you  should  now 
behold  this  sin  in  another  in  order  that  you  may 
be  brought  to  acknowledge  and  repent  of  it ;  and 
amend  your  ways  and  pray  for  your  brother  that 
God  may  grant  him  repentance  and  amendment, 
according  to  His  Divine  will.  Thus  a  good  heart 
draws  amendment  from  the  sins  of  others,  and  is 
guarded  from  all  harsh  judgment  and  wrath,  and 
preserves  an  even  temper,  while  an  evil  heart  puts 
the  worst  interpretation  on  all  that  it  sees  and  turns 
it  to  its  own  hurt.  Thus  is  a  good  man  able  to 
maintain  inviolate  a  due  love  and  loyalty  towards 
his  fellow-man.  Further,  this  generous  love  makes 
him  hold  others  innocent  in  his  heart :  even  when 
he  sees  infirmity  or  fault  in  his  neighbour,  he  reflects 
that  very  likely  all  is  not  as  it  seems  on  the  outside, 
but  the  act  may  have  been  done  with  a  good  in- 
tention ;  or  else  he  thinks  that  God  may  have  per- 
mitted it  to  take  place  for  an  admonition  and  lesson 
to  himself ;  or  again,  as  an  opportunity  for  him  to 
exercise  self-control  and  to  learn  to  die  unto  himself, 
by  the  patient  endurance  of  and  forbearance  towards 
the  faults  of  his  neighbours,  even  as  God  has  often 


412  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

borne  many  wrongs  from  him,  and  had  patience  with 
his  sins.  And  this  would  often  tend  more  to  his 
neighbour's  improvement  than  all  the  efforts  he 
could  make  for  it  in  the  way  of  reproofs  or  chastise- 
ments, even  if  they  were  done  in  love  (though 
indeed  we  often  imagine  that  our  reproofs  are  given 
in  love  when  it  is  in  truth  far  otherwise).  For  I 
teU  thee,  dear  child,  if  thou  couldst  conquer  thyself 
by  long-suffering  and  gentleness  and  the  pureness 
of  thy  heart,  thou  wouldst  have  vanquished  all  thine 
enemies.  It  would  be  better  for  thee  than  if  thou 
hadst  won  the  hearts  of  all  the  world  by  thy  writings 
and  wisdom,  and  hadst  miserably  destroyed  thine 
own  soul  by  passing  judgment  on  thy  neighbours  ; 
for  the  Lord  says  :  "  And  why  beholdest  thou  the 
mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  considereth 
not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?  " 

In  thus  speaking,  I  except  those  who  are  bound  by 
their  ofüce  in  the  holy  Christian  Church  to  rebuke 
others.  Let  them  wisely  beware  how  they  reprove, 
and  for  what  causes,  so  that  they  rebuke  none  with 
an  irritable  demeanour,  or  with  harsh  and  angry 
words,  from  which  much  trouble  and  toil  do  spring, 
for  that  they  have  no  right  to  do,  but  it  is  permitted 
to  them  to  reprove  those  who  are  under  them  for 
their  own  amendment.  But  alas  !  it  happens  for 
the  most  part  now-a-days  that  those  who  occupy 
the  highest  places  do  often  and  greatly  forget  them- 
selves in  these  respects,  and  hence  their  rebukes 
do  not  produce  any  amendment,  but  only  anger 
and  alienation  of  heart.  For  if  they  were  to  instruct 
those  who  are  under  their  care  in  the  fear  of  God,  in 
such  wise  that  the  people  could  mark  and  be  sure 
that  it  was  done  solely  for  the  saving  of  their  souls, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  413 

they  would  be  much  the  more  ready  to  set  themselves 
to  amend,  and  would  be  content, — but  now,  alas  ! 
they  see  that  their  superiors  are  only  seeking  their 
own  glory  and  profit,  and  taking  upon  themselves 
wrongfully  to  keep  them  down  and  defraud  them  of 
their  just  rights,  and  therefore  reproof  only  makes 
them  the  more  refractory  and  indignant.  And  there 
are  many  in  authority  who  do  really  beheve  that 
they  rebuke  those  under  them  from  a  reverence  for 
righteousness,  and  yet  are  doing  it  from  a  wrath- 
ful, domineering,  and  arrogant  spirit ;  and  what  they 
think  they  are  doing  from  hatred  to  sin,  they  are 
doing  from  hatred  to  men. 

But  I  beseech  you  examine  yourselves,  whether 
you  do  in  truth  love  those  whom  you  are  punishing 
so  bitterly  out  of  reverence  and  zeal  for  righteous- 
ness as  you  suppose.  For  when  we  see  men  punish- 
ing and  oppressing  with  such  vehemence  those  who 
are  under  them,  or  treating  them  so  harshly  with 
sharp  words  and  sour  looks,  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
there  is  more  reproof  given  out  of  crabbed  im- 
patience, than  for  the  sake  of  righteousness  from  the 
true  ground  of  charity  and  kindness,  especially  by 
those  who  have  not  yet  experienced  the  inward 
joy  of  hearty  sweetness  and  godly  love  :  for  the 
soul  that  has  not  yet  experienced  inward  love  and 
divine  sweetness  does  not  know  how  to  hold  a 
discreet  mien  and  just  language  in  rebuking  ;  but 
genuine  love  teaches  us  how  we  ought  to  treat  those 
who  are  worthy  of  punishment. 

Now  let  him  who  has  to  punish  in  virtue  of  his 
office  first  take  account  of  God's  dishonour  and  the 
injury  done  to  the  souls  of  his  flock,  and  then  rebuke 
with  sweet,  loving  words  and  patient  demeanour  and 


414  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

gestures,  so  that  the  weak  shall  be  able  to  mark  that 
he  is  seeking  and  purposing  their  welfare  alone, 
and  nothing  else.  And  if  in  the  dispensations  of 
God's  Providence  it  should  happen  that  those  who 
are  subject  should  at  times  rise  up  and  offend  by 
license  and  presumptuous  irreverence  against  their 
superiors,  the  latter  ought  not  in  any  wise  to  regard 
or  revenge  it,  so  far  as  that  may  be,  without  scandal 
to  the  rest  of  their  subjects  ;  for  if  they  revenge 
themselves  they  fall  under  suspicion  of  selfish 
motives,  and  it  is  likely  that  God  wiU  not  be  able 
to  work  any  fruit  through  them  ;  but  they  must 
rather  treat  such  offenders  with  more  patience, 
kinder  words  and  acts,  than  they  do  others.  For 
this  is  commonly  the  greatest  temptation  which 
befalls  those  in  authority,  by  which  they  for  the 
most  either  win  or  lose  the  greatest  reward  of  their 
labours  ;  wherefore  they  should  ever  be  on  their 
guard,  for  gentleness  and  a  readiness  to  forgive 
injuries  is  the  best  virtue  that  a  ruler  can  possess. 

They  shall  show  no  partiality  in  their  affections, 
neither  for  their  own  glory  nor  yet  towards  particular 
persons,  but  they  shall  embrace  all  their  flock  in  the 
arms  of  a  common  love,  as  a  mother  does  her  children. 
To  the  weak  they  should  ever  show  the  greatest  love 
and  care,  and  without  ceasing  lift  up  their  hearts 
unto  God  in  prayer,  earnestly  beseeching  Him 
to  guard  and  defend  the  people  committed  to  their 
charge,  and  not  indulging  in  any  self-glorification. 
Likewise,  so  far  as  it  rests  with  them,  let  them  be  the 
first  to  do  such  works  as  they  would  wish  to  see 
their  people  do  :  for  so  it  stands,  that,  with  the  help 
of  God,  all  may  be  accompHshed  to  a  good  end, 
when  those  in  authority  are  inclined  to  virtue,  for 


TAULER'S    SERMONS  415 

then  their  subjects  must  needs  follow  as  they  lead, 
even  though  they  may  have  been  beforehand  in- 
dined  to  all  evü  and  vice,  and  hostile  to  their 
superiors. 

But  for  those  who  have  received  no  commission 
to  govern  other  men,  but  stand  in  a  private  char- 
acter without  office,  it  is  needful  that  they  secretly 
judge  themselves  inwardly,  and  beware  of  judging 
all  things  without,  for  in  such  judgments  we  do 
commonly  err,  and  the  true  position  of  things  is 
generally  very  far  otherwise  from  that  which  it 
appears  to  us,  as  we  often  come  to  discover  after- 
wards. On  this  point  remember  the  proverb : 
"  He  is  a  wise  man  who  can  turn  all  things  to  the 
best." 

May  God  help  us  so  to  do  !     Amen. 


XXVII 

Sermon  on  a  Martyr's  Day 

Of  three  sorts  of  spiritual  temptation  by  which  holy 
men  are  secretly  assailed ;  to  wit :  spiritual 
unchastity,  covetousness,  and  pride. 

James,  i.  12. — "Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation;  for 
when  he  is  tried  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  life,  which  the 
Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  Him- 

ALL  our  life  (says  Job),  so  long  as  we  are  upon 
earth,  is  full  of  struggle  and  temptation, 
insomuch  that  this  life  is  not  called  a  life  by  the 
Saints,  but  a  temptation.  When  one  temptation  is 
over,  straightway  others  are  awaiting  us,  and  the 
cause  is  that  our  Lord  will  have  us  to  go  and  bring 
forth  fruit ;  and  the  fruit  is  to  walk  in  the  ways  of 
God  and  go  forward  ;  for  the  fruit  consists  in  the 
very  overcoming  of  temptation,  from  which  we  may 
draw  out  a  hidden  spiritual  sweetness,  as  the  bees 
suck  honey  from  the  thorn-bushes  as  well  as  from 
all  other  flowers.  He  who  has  not  been  tempted, 
knows  nothing,  nor  lives  as  yet,  say  the  wise  man 
Solomon,  and  the  holy  teacher  St.  Bernard.  We 
find  more  than  a  thousand  testimonies  in  Scripture 
to  the  great  profit  of  temptation  ;  for  it  is  the  special 
sign  of  the  love  of  God  towards  a  man  for  him  to  be 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  4*7 

tempted  and  yet  kept  from  falling ;  for  thus  he 
must  and  shall  of  a  certainty  receive  the  crown,  like 
the  martyr  whose  death  the  Christian  Church  com- 
memorates this  day,  singing  of  him  that  he  is  blessed 
because  he  hath  endured  temptation,  and  has  been 
tried  and  proved  therein,  that  he  might  receive  the 
crown  of  life  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to  them 
that  love  him. 

Now  observe,  dear  children,  that  there  are  two 
kinds  of  temptation.  The  one  is  carnal,  and  has  its 
sphere  in  the  kingdom  of  sense  in  this  present  life, 
as  when  a  man  is  tempted  through  his  outward  senses 
to  seek  his  happiness  in  other  men,  be  they  friends 
or  relations,  or  any  others,  or  to  undue  fondness  for 
the  outward  show  of  life,  such  as  dress,  jewels,  books, 
instruments,  a  pleasant  abode,  and  other  transitory 
creatures,  and  wilfully  cleaves  thereunto  with  mani- 
fold affections,  and  they  stick  to  him  like  burrs.  At 
times  our  outward  senses  are  left  in  peace,  and  are 
quit  of  assaults,  yet  is  the  man  strangely  assaulted 
inwardly  in  his  flesh  and  blood  by  unseemly 
thoughts  ;  but,  however  impure  may  be  these  temp- 
tations, and  however  horrible  they  may  look,  they 
cannot  of  themselves  defile  a  man's  purity.  St. 
Gregory  says  :  "  Temptations  do  not  defile  a  man 
except  through  his  own  slackness  and  want  of  dili- 
gence in  turning  aside  from  them." 

The  other  sort  of  temptation  is  inward  and 
spiritual,  and  has  its  seat  in  the  realm  of  the 
intellect.  The  workings  of  the  Spirit  and  of  Nature 
are  so  mingled  together  and  interwoven  as  long  as 
we  are  in  this  present  hfe,  that  all  our  inward  exer- 
cises and  converse  with  God  are  carried  on  at  the 
same  time  with  all  the  motions  and  workings  of 

2  D 


4i8  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

nature.  Moreover,  our  Lord  has  so  ordained  it  for 
our  good,  that  the  Evil  Angel,  Satan,  has  power  to 
transform  himself  before  the  inward  eye  of  the  mind 
into  an  Angel  of  Light ;  and  he  does  it  most  of  all 
at  those  times  when  a  man  gathers  up  all  his  powers 
to  enter  into  communion  with  God.  Observe,  dear 
children,  that  St.  John  divides  sin  into  three  kinds, 
when  he  says,  all  that  is  of  the  world  is  "  the  lust  of 
the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of 
life."  As  these  three  sins  that  reign  in  the  world 
exist  together  in  the  flesh,  so  do  they  also  reign  in- 
wardly in  the  mind,  under  a  spiritual  guise.  Out- 
ward sins  are  very  clear  and  easy  to  see,  if  a  man 
have  a  mind  to  watch  himself  ;  but  these  mental 
sins  are  in  many  ways  more  covert,  and  can  put  on 
such  a  good  face,  that  we  are  often  hardly  aware 
of  the  grievous  fall  that  is  close  at  hand. 

Now  mark  :  it  is  to  be  counted  as  spiritual  un- 
chastity  or  wantonness,  when  a  man  seeks  himself 
too  much,  and  with  eager  desire  strives  after  warmth 
and  sensible  devoutness,  to  the  end  that  he  may 
always  be  in  a  state  of  contentment,  and  none  may 
have  a  right  to  reprove  him,  though  he  should  give 
himself  to  his  own  special  prayers  and  religious 
exercises,  while  leaving  unfulfilled  the  work  that  is 
his  duty.  When  such  an  one  has  none  of  these 
sweet  emotions,  he  is  quite  troubled  and  becomes 
peevish  and  very  impatient  in  the  trifling  mishaps 
that  befall  him,  though  they  are  really  of  no  import- 
ance whatever  ;  and  when  he  cannot  enjoy  or  obtain 
inward  peace  according  to  his  desire,  he  complains 
of  the  great  grievances  and  temptations  which  he 
has  to  endure.  St.  Bernard  says  that  our  Lord 
bestows  these  graces  of  sensible  emotion  upon  such  as 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  4^9 

have  done  nothing  to  deserve  them  nor  are  worthy 
of  them,  but  He  does  this  in  mercy,  that  He  may 
draw  such  to  His  love  ;  and  He  withholds  these  gifts 
from  some  who  have  undergone  long  and  painful 
exercises,  and  were  well  fit  to  receive  them  ;  yea 
from  some  He  withholds  them  all  their  life  long,  but 
He  will  give  them  a  great  recompense  for  it  in  the 
next  life.  The  reason  of  His  thus  withholding 
sensible  delight  is  that  our  spiritual  fruitfulness  and 
highest  blessedness  do  not  lie  therein,  but  in  our 
inward  trusting  and  clinging  to  God,  in  our  not 
seeking  ourselves  either  in  sorrow  or  joy,  but  through 
joy  and  sorrow  devoting  ourselves  to  God,  and  Hke 
poor  unworthy  servants  offering  ourselves  to  Him 
at  our  own  costs,  though  we  should  have  to  serve 
him  thus  for  ever.  Yet  it  may  indeed  be  permitted 
to  a  young,  weak  Christian,  at  the  outset  of  his 
course,  to  pray  for  such  graces  or  gifts  from  our 
good  God,  in  order  to  be  able  to  glorify  Him  with 
the  greater  activity,  and  to  be  grounded  the  more 
firmly  in  His  love.  But  when  we  desire  such  in- 
ward fervours  and  sweet  peace  (which  are  His  gifts 
and  not  our  deserts)  more  for  their  own  sakes  than 
the  Giver  Himself,  we  fall  into  spiritual  wantonness 
and  black  disloyalty,  which  our  good  Lord  has  not 
deserved  at  our  hands  with  His  utter  renunciation 
of  Himself  outwardly  and  inwardly. 

Spiritual  covetousness  is  when  a  man  is  always 
coveting  to  have  more  than  bare  necessaries  while 
pursuing  this  earthly  pilgrimage.  For  what  more 
should  a  pilgrim  take  with  him  by  the  way  than 
such  things  as  are  needful  to  sustain  him  till  he  come 
safely  to  his  home  ?  Believe  me,  it  is  a  great  blemish 
in   true   outward  poverty  to   desire  aught  beyond 


420  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

necessaries ;  so  likewise  it  is  a  still  greater  blemish 
in  the  inward  poverty  of  the  spirit.  Ah  !  who  has 
ever  been  so  poor  as  He,  who,  in  utter  poorness  of 
spirit,  stood  forsaken  by  Heaven  and  by  the  creatures, 
cast  out  alone  in  utter  exile,  when  He  sent  forth 
that  bitter  cry  :  "  My  God,  my  God  !  why  hast  Thou 
forsaken  me  ?  "  And  this  was  all  that  He  might  be 
an  ensample  unto  us,  to  comfort  our  poverty  and 
bereavement  by  teaching  us  true  submission.  I  hear 
thee  sajdng  :  "  Yes  ;  if  it  were  not  my  own  fault, 
and  if  I  had  not  failed  to  receive  the  blessing  through 
my  own  heedlessness,  or  thrown  it  away  by  my  own 
guilty  folly,  I  could  bear  it  all  the  better  ;  what 
should  I  then  have  to  mourn  over  ?  But  now  it 
is  all  my  own  doing  :  I  have  brought  the  mischief 
upon  myself."  I  answer  :  Do  not  let  this  lead  thee 
astray  ;  dost  thou  not  know  how  that  it  is  written  : 
"  The  just  man  faUeth  seven  times,  and  riseth  up 
again  ;  "  and  dost  thou  think  to  stand  always  ? 
Yes  ;  I  assert  and  confess  with  thee,  that  it  is  thine 
own  fault,  that  thou  hast  brought  it  upon  thyself, 
and  well  deserved  it ;  yet,  nevertheless,  it  is  better 
that  thou  shouldst,  with  firm  trust,  pray  our  kind 
God  for  His  grace  (who  knows  thy  weakness,  and  is 
ready  to  forgive  thy  trespasses  seventy  and  seven 
times  in  a  day),  than  that  thou  shouldst  thus  drive 
thyself  back  in  thy  course  with  such  faint-hearted- 
ness.  O  child,  hast  thou  fallen  ?  arise,  and  go, 
with  childlike  trust,  to  thy  Father,  Uke  the  prodigal 
son,  and  humbly  say,  with  heart  and  mouth : 
"  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before 
thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son  ; 
make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants."  And  what 
will  thy  Heavenly  Father  do  but  what  that  father 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  421 

did  in  the  parable  ?  Assuredly  He  will  not  change 
His  essence,  which  is  love,  for  the  sake  of  thy  mis- 
doings. Is  it  not  His  own  precious  treasure,  and  a 
small  thing  with  Him  to  forgive  thee  thy  trespasses, 
if  thou  beheve  in  Him  ?  for  His  hand  is  not  shortened 
that  it  cannot  make  thee  fit  to  be  saved.  Therefore, 
beware  of  spiritual  covetousness  ;  for  the  poorer 
thou  art  in  thine  own  eyes  when  thou  comest  to  Him, 
the  more  acceptable  art  thou  in  His  sight,  and  the 
more  richly  He  will  endow  thee  and  clothe  thee  out 
of  His  treasures. 

Spiritual  pride  is  when  a  man  is  not  willing  to  be 
put  to  shame  in  his  own  eyes  on  account  of  his  trans- 
gressions, but  is  ever  trying  to  excuse  and  gloss  over 
his  faults,  and  is  never  willing  to  abase  himself,  even 
in  small  matters.  And  this  often  leads  people  to 
make  many  useless  and  wrong  speeches  in  order  to 
excuse  themselves  and  to  justify  themselves  in  every 
respect ;  as  much  as  to  say,  I  am  not  the  man  to  be 
accused  of  this  and  that ;  and  they  are  unwilling  to 
remember,  or  consider,  that  he  who  cannot  clear  him- 
self with  the  simple  truth  will  not  be  helped  by  the 
untruths  by  which  he  often  adds  to  his  guilt ;  and 
that  a  man  who  humbles  himself  before  God  is  more 
in  his  eyes  than  an  arrogant,  self-righteous  man,  who 
deems  himself  able  to  answer  for  all  his  deeds  with 
his  own  righteousness.  Hearken,  dear  child  ;  what 
does  all  our  righteousness  come  to  at  last  ?  Isaiah 
says  :  "  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags  ;  " 
and  however  great  our  righteousness  is,  or  might 
become,  yet,  if  the  Lord  should  sit  in  judgment  on  us, 
without  doubt  we  should  have  to  confess  ourselves 
His  debtors,  and  place  all  our  hope  in  His  mercy. 
The  Lord  often  disciplines  a  man  by  his  own  failings, 


422  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

if  he  is  humble  under  them  and  throws'  himself  at 
God's  feet ;  for  God  will  have  every  knee  to  bend 
before  Him,  and  will  have  the  praise  and  glory  of 
all  goodness.  Hence  we  may  observe  that  there  is 
often  a  secret  pride  within  us  from  which  many  un- 
seemly fruits  do  grow.  But  he  who  gives  diligence 
to  beware  of  spiritual  wantonness,  covetousness 
and  pride,  shall  be  kept  from  straying  out  of  God's 
ways,  or  falling  into  error  in  his  inward  exercises. 

But  in  order  to  keep  yourselves  from  these  sins,  and 
withstand  this  kind  of  temptation,  you  must  observe 
three  rules  which  I  will  tell  you.  The  first  is  :  none 
of  the  inward  difficulties  that  rise  up  from  within,  or 
the  adverse  circumstances  that  stay  our  hands  from 
working,  by  which  we  are  drawn  or  pressed  into  like- 
ness and  conformity  to  the  humble  image  of  Christ 
and  His  saints  (not  alone  outwardly,  but  that  of 
their  inward  condition),  can  be  the  work  either  of 
evil  spirits  or  of  nature,  but  without  a  doubt  come 
from  God.  For  He  is  the  Highest  Good,  and  from 
the  Highest  Good  nought  but  what  is  good  can  flow  ; 
and  all  the  goodness  that  God  gives  us  of  His  stores, 
and  that  we  render  back  again  to  Him,  has  pro- 
ceeded from  Him  as  its  source  ;  just  as  all  streams 
flow  back  again  to  their  source,  the  Ocean  whence 
they  have  arisen,  and  all  things  do  rejoice  in  their 
return.  But  all  that  draws  us  and  leads  us  aside 
from  such  conformity  and  likeness  proceeds  without 
doubt  from  the  Spirit  of  Evil,  who  is  ever  on  the 
watch  to  disturb  and  draw  us  down,  as  our  Lord 
said  :  "  He  who  is  not  with  me  is  against  me,  and  he 
who  gathereth  not  with  me,  scattereth."  This  rule 
is  against  the  first  spiritual  vice,  that  of  wantonness. 

The  second  rule  is :   Whatever  befalls  a  man  in- 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  423 

wardly,  whereby  he  is  brought  to  a  closer  and  more 
sensible  gathering  up  of  all  his  affections  and  im- 
pulses, in  singleness  of  heart,  into  a  steadfast  trust 
in  and  love  of  the  Father's  loving-kindness  and  not 
his  own  works  and  experiences,  this  is  from  God. 
And  he  who  at  all  times  sees  himself  to  be  a  poor 
beggar,  however  fair  his  works  may  seem,  the  more 
narrowly  he  looks  into  his  own  heart,  and  the  more 
mastery  he  gains  over  himself,  the  more  does  he 
discover  his  own  nakedness  of  all  virtue.  He 
becomes  aware  in  himself  that  he  is  nothing  but  an 
empty,  worthless  vessel,  fitted  not  unto  honour  but 
unto  eternal  destruction,  which  vessel  God  alone 
must  and  will  fill  with  His  grace.  When  we  cling 
to  Him,  suffer  Him  to  have  access  to  our  spirits,  and 
do  not  defend  ourselves  with  ourselves,  that  work 
is  no  doubt  of  God,  by  which  a  man  is  driven  into 
himself  to  learn  his  own  poverty.  But  the  suggest- 
ions of  the  Enemy  and  of  nature  rob  and  despoil  a 
man  of  all  the  benefits  of  his  virtues  ;  and  this  is 
the  case  whenever  a  man  does  not  know  his  own 
real  state,  and  thinks  to  possess  what  he  never  had, 
and  says  (as  it  is  written) :  "  I  am  rich,  and  in- 
creased with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing,"  and 
knows  not  that  he  is  wretched,  and  miserable,  and 
poor,  and  blind,  and  naked.  This  is  the  rule  against 
spiritual  covetousness. 

The  third  rule  is :  Whatever  befalls  a  man  by 
which  he  is  lessened  and  humbled  in  his  own  in- 
most emotions,  and  which  makes  him  bend  under 
the  Almighty  Hand  of  God,  under  all  creatures, 
abasing  and  annihilating  himself  in  true  humility, 
this  comes  no  doubt  from  God.  For  as  Lucifer 
and  his  followers  desired  to  be  great  and  lofty,  and 


424  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

were  therefore  thrust  down  from  heaven,  so  are 
we  led  back  again  to  heaven  by  self-abasement, 
as  it  was  said  of  the  Kings  of  the  East  that  they 
travelled  back  into  their  own  land  again  by  another 
way. 

Thus  does  every  being  do  and  teach  according  to 
that  which  is  his  essence,  drawing  into  his  own  like- 
ness all  whom  there  are  to  draw,  as  far  as  in  him  lies. 
The  Evil  Spirit  is  puffed  up  in  his  own  obstinate 
conceit,  and  in  the  loftiness  of  his  pride  is  so  hardened 
and  unbending  in  his  own  stiff-necked  will  and  pur- 
pose, that  neither  to  win  heaven  nor  for  anything 
else,  will  he  humble  himself  for  one  moment,  so 
fixed  is  he  in  his  evil  mind.  So  likewise  is  it  with 
all  the  proud  who  have  learnt  of  him  to  trust  in  their 
own  understandings  above  all  other  men's  opinion 
and  reason  ;  wherefore  they  fall  into  strife  and 
variance  with  their  neighbours,  which  begets  much 
trouble  and  disquiet  of  heart,  and  hence  arise  many 
breaches  of  brotherly  love.  They  will  take  reproof 
from  none,  and  grow  so  hardened  in  their  own 
obstinate  evil  will,  and  set  upon  their  purposes,  that 
they  rashly  dare  to  withstand  all  the  admonitions 
of  God  and  His  friends,  as  the  Jewish  scribes  and 
priests  withstood  our  blessed  Lord  ;  and  of  such 
the  prophet  Isaiah,  speaking  in  the  person  of  Christ, 
complains  :  "I  have  spread  out  my  hands  all  the 
day  unto  a  rebellious  people,  which  walketh  in  a  way 
that  was  not  good,  after  their  own  thoughts." 

But  our  blessed  Lord,  on  the  contrary,  is  meek 
and  humble,  yea.  He  is  himself  the  essence  of 
humiUty,  whereunto  He  is  unceasingly  drawing  all 
men  whom  there  are  to  draw,  and  who  are  willing 
to  be  drawn.     His  Being  is  the  cause,  the  essence, 


TAULER'S  SERMONS  425 

and  the  origin  of  all  things.  He  is  the  life  of  the 
living,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  the  restorer  of  all 
deformity  and  unfitness,  and  of  those  who  have 
corrupted  and  despoiled  themselves  through  sin. 
He  calleth  back  those  who  have  fallen  away  and 
wandered  from  His  fold.  He  raiseth  up  and  con- 
firmeth  those  who  are  in  temptation.  He  is  the 
bulwark  of  those  who  stand,  the  awakener  and  guide 
of  all  who  are  looking  and  striving  upwards  towards 
Him,  the  source  of  all  light,  the  lamp  of  all  who  walk 
in  light,  the  revealer  of  mysteries,  in  so  far  as  it 
is  fitting  for  us  to  know,  and  the  beginning  of  all 
beginnings.  His  Essence  is  incomprehensible,  un- 
speakable, and  without  a  name.  Therefore  should 
we  honour  and  glorify  His  unspeakable  mystery 
with  holy  reverence  and  silence,  and  nevermore 
covet  to  fathom  or  to  taste  aught  except  in  so  far 
as  is  to  His  honour  and  to  our  profit,  but  ever  with 
fit  reverence  and  devoutness  turn  with  all  our  might 
in  shamefaced  awe  to  contemplate  the  radiance  of 
His  bright  and  spotless  mirror.  It  behoves  man  to 
be  ever  in  fear  and  to  bethink  him  of  the  word  that 
God,  our  Lord,  spake  by  the  mouth  of  Moses  :  "  If 
a  man  or  a  beast  touch  the  mountain,  he  shall  be 
stoned ;  "  which  signifies  that  our  animal  senses 
must  not  presume  to  climb  the  Mount  of  the  Divine 
Essence,  but  must  rather  keep  themselves  below 
and  take  the  meanest  place,  until  the  time  come 
when  it  shall  be  said  unto  man  :  "  Friend,  come  up 
higher."  And  then  he  shall  not  go  up  of  himself, 
but  he  shall  suffer  himself  to  be  led  upwards,  and 
his  sensual  nature  shall  be  purified  and  endowed 
with  the  light  of  God,  whereby  he  shall  receive 
more  Hght  than  he  could  ever  win  by  all  his  great 


426  TAULER'S  SERMONS 

and  strenuous  labour.  For  the  Divine  Nature  of 
Christ  is  a  magnet  that  draws  unto  itself  all  spirits 
and  hearts  that  bear  its  likeness,  and  daily  unites 
them  to  itself  through  love. 

Now  Richardus  says  :  "I  receive  Christ  not  alone 
on  the  cross,  but  also  in  His  transfiguration  on  Mount 
Tabor.  But  I  may  not  receive  Him  there  except  I 
find  James,  Peter  and  John,  Moses  and  Elias  with 
Him,  who  bear  witness  to  me  that  it  is  truly  Christ." 
That  is  to  say  :  in  all  our  distresses,  in  all  our  painful 
inward  destitution,  we  may  boldly  believe  that  Christ 
is  present  with  us ;  but  if  He  appears  to  us  on 
the  Mount  of  inward  Contemplation,  we  need  these 
witnesses  that  we  may  not  enjoy  the  fruition  of  His 
gifts  in  a  wanton  spirit  for  the  satisfaction  of  our 
own  desires,  nor  too  ardently  covet  more  of  His  good 
gifts  than  we  can  put  to  a  good  use  ;  but  may  ever 
abase  ourselves  so  thoroughly  that  we  fall  not  into 
any  spiritual  pride.  These  are  the  true  witnesses 
that  we  may  freely  receive  Christ  in  His  glory  on  the 
heights  of  Mount  Tabor  without  hindrance  or  error, 
for  where  these  witnesses  are  of  a  truth,  there  we 
cannot  be  deceived  by  the  Spirit  of  Falsehood.  May 
Almighty  God  help  us  so  to  do  !     Amen. 


THE   END 


PBINTBO  BT  M'LABBN  AND  CO.,   LTD.,   BDIKBT7KGH. 


01034 


